Broken of Sanity
by DreamCatcherofLight
Summary: Sonic has been missing for almost six years now. During his absence, corruption has overcome the government, making life a living hell for everyone. It's been the job of everyone else to step up in Sonic's place, to try and save the world with a losing war on their end. But what happens when Sonic suddenly appears out of nowhere, completely different and yet the same? SONILVER.
1. Prologue

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings: **_contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer: **_I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of chapter for more info._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already). _

**Summary: **_Times are changing in Sonic's world. Eggman is executed for the crimes he's committed and the government takes Sonic into captivity for their own personal gain. Sonic is forced to go through almost six years of absolute hell until he's finally able to escape. But he's not the same, and neither is anyone else, and there's the threat of a war between mobians and humans. How will Sonic cope will all the changes? Eventual Sonilver._

**Author's Notes: **_Hi guys! Long time no see, huh? I just want to start out with saying-to those who have followed me and/or my stories-thank you so much! It seriously means the world to me that people actually like my stuff! It's awesome to be getting all these notifications popping up on my phone, saying someone has followed me and/or one of the stories I've written on here.  
Moving onto the story, my interest in Sonic has recently been revived. And,_ knowing_ me, it wouldn't be too long until I started writing Sonic fanfiction. It comes as no surprise that I would think this story up, seeing as I, for some reason, love torturing characters. Anyways, that's all I have to say for now so enjoy! _

_P.S.: I may or may not finish this story, we'll see how it goes. Sorry in advance if I don't, but I rarely ever finish any of the stories on here, so...yeah. Onto the chapter._

**Prologue**

Heavy footsteps stampede sloppily through the forest. The wet sloshing of leaves and muted sound of snapping branches is evident of the heavy rainfall that had taken place just hours before. It had washed away everything old. like replacing the artwork of an artist with a fresh blank canvas.

It's cold, but it doesn't affect the creature stumbling through the forest. His fur is thick enough to keep him warm, even in the coldest of winters. But the weather isn't his main concern right now. In fact, it isn't even a thought that crosses his mind. He's more focused on the angry shouting that rises up in the distance behind him.

He's desperate to get away, but he's quickly growing exhausted. Something he's become very familiar with over his five and a half years of torture.

"Shoot that rat down!" A faint voice suddenly roars over the rest of the mesh of voices. It shoots fear through the creatures' heart. It's strong enough to make him almost freeze. Almost. That voice is the voice of the man that had tormented him all these years.

_'I'm not a rat!' _He can't help but think angrily. A shimmer of his old personality peaks through a curtain of dark trauma. He swears on his life that he would never lose himself, that he would never give up hope. It's the one thing that's kept him mostly sane throughout the years. It reminds him of the good days. Back when he could run free of his own will, fighting alongside his friends for the good of the world.

His heart aches of the bittersweet memories. Oh how he wishes he could go back, to retreat into his memories.

A bang suddenly echos throughout the busy forest, ripping Sonic away from his thoughts. A bullet whizzes past his right ear, just centimeters from ripping a hole through the delicate cartilage. It hits the tree right in front of him. He stumbles to a stop, though he trips over a twisted tree root hidden under a thick layer of wet leaves. He falls forwards and lands flat on his face with a winded "oof" escaping his heavily bruised chest.

"Got you now, Sonic." A menacing voice suddenly says. The same voice that can easily strike fear through Sonic's voice. The voice that, if there's a devil, would belong to said devil.

The creature known as Sonic is barely able to prop himself up on his hands. His arms shake and his breathing is heavy and uneven. His heart races quickly in his chest and thick jolts of fear twist painfully in his stomach. And he still manages to look up at this man, glaring him straight in the eyes, baring his fangs as he does so.

His large fluffy ears swivel all around on his head when he hears the quiet snap of a twig nearby. He listens intently though he never takes his eyes off the man in front of him. He can hear multiple humans all around him, hiding behind trees, bushes, rocks, anything really.

"I thought you knew better." The man's voice drones out as he lowers his shotgun from Sonic's forehead. If looks could kill, this man would be laying in a mangled heap of bones and flesh at Sonic's feet, slowly dying an agonizing death. And even _that _doesn't feel like justice for Sonic.

"Even now you still manage to surprise me." The man says as he casually wonders closer to the feral beast. There's a twisted smirk on his face and his clothes reek strongly of the cleaning chemicals used back at the lab. Sonic can only imagine what he had been doing before he had been alerted to Sonic's escape.

The man comes to a stop and leans down so he's eye level with the injured creature. His gray blue eyes have an amused sparkle. "I guess you didn't learn from all the other times you pulled something like this. I guess it's time to truly show you your place in this world, _pet_."

The only warning is a low, guttural snarl in the back of Sonic's throat before he lunges. He's fast, despite the multiple injuries littering his body. He manages to pin the man to the ground, a hand on both sides of his shoulders to keep him from trying to roll away.

Metallic clicking can be heard all around him in a huge circle as the humans prepare their guns to shoot.

"Don't fire!" The man below Sonic shouts as he holds an arm up against Sonic's bruised chest. "Do not shoot!"

Sonic doesn't know why he tells his men this. Maybe it's because he wants Sonic alive, or maybe his ego won't allow the others to help him from his inevitable death. Whatever it is, Sonic doesn't care. It gives him more time to savor the death of his tormentor.

Sonic presses against the arm holding him back, using all his weight. His snapping jaws are just centimeters away from ripping his man's face to shreds and his claws dig deep into the ground to steady himself. He looks absolutely crazed right now, and deep down he's afraid that he's finally lost his mind. Gone insane, ballistic from trauma.

He's too focused on all the emotions raging through him, all the pent up rage and hopelessness and sadness and frustration and everything else he's ever felt over the past five and a half years. It all comes spilling out, the cork to the metaphorical bottle popping clean off, unable to hold it all.

Sonic doesn't notice the man below him slowly inching to the left. The man's hand claws at the ground in terrified desperation. Sonic can see it in his eyes, and he drinks every last inch of the moment. He can feel the arm holding him back shake with the strain of holding him away, and he knows that soon the arm would give out and Sonic would finally be able to-

There's a click, and Sonic's eyes immediately widen. The man below him smirks triumphantly and Sonic instantly knows that he's in trouble.

Time feels endless and slow. Sonic feels the cold tip of the gun press uncomfortably against his left side. A heart stopping bang rings out through the forest. Everything goes still. Everything goes silent. No one moves and no one makes a sound as they stare in bewilderment at what just happened.

Sonic is frozen in place, eyes wide. His mouth hands open, blood falling from his mouth like sticky drool. His scared green eyes slowly look over to the shotgun held in the man's free hand, still pressed against Sonic's now heavily bleeding side. The dripping of thick liquid falling to the wet leaves below fills the tense silence. And then Sonic's body goes slack, the only thing keeping him up is the hand still pressed against his chest.

He's thrown to the right and lands heavily on his uninjured side. High pitched whine is heard as Sonic breathes heavily, his breath rattling around in his chest. His heart races dangerously fast and his vision quickly blurs in and out of focus. A fiery agony rips through his entire body through the shock and adrenaline.

There's a huge hole in his side where he was shot point blank, the fur around it singed. Blood quickly gushes from the wound in thick waves, soaking the fur around the wound. It rolls down his side, down his belly, where it pools in a thick puddle on the mulch below.

"This is what happens when you bite the hand that feeds you." The man suddenly says, cutting through Sonic's high pitched whining. He stands up, holding his shotgun securely in his hand. He smiles a slick, oily smile that sends shivers down Sonic's already shaking body.

The man takes the few short steps to get to Sonic. He lifts a foot and stomps it down against Sonic's bleeding side, causing a yelp of pain to rip from Sonic's throat. "How pathet-"

Sonic doesn't think. He feels like an animal, trapped in a corner with nothing but his teeth and claws to defend himself. And that's exactly what he does.

He twists towards the man's leg and opens his powerful maw. He clamps his jaw shut around the man's whole leg, drawing a startled scream from the man above. Sonic relishes in the feeling of his razor sharp teeth sinking through skin and muscle. He forces himself not to gag as the man's blood pools in Sonic's mouth, trickling down his chin in a sticky mix of blood and saliva.

The tips of his canines scrape hard bone and Sonic does his best to leave gashes in the strong material. The man throws his head back with a howl of pain, sweat glistening on his oily forehead. He wastes no time to lift the shotgun and bring it down heavily against Sonic's head.

It takes five harsh hits with the butt of the shotgun to get Sonic to let go. Once Sonic does let go he quickly throws the man off of him and stands on all fours, his whole body shaking. He wastes no time when he hears the clicking of guns all around him. He shoots off into the forest, the sound of gunshots following quickly after.

There are only three people in the way of Sonic's escape, and he quickly tears through them. They don't even manage to land a single hit on Sonic. He's moving too much and too fast.

Sonic goes for the person closest to him first. The man backs up and aims his gun at Sonic, though he doesn't even get the chance to pull the trigger. The feral beast leaps on the man, the force sending him falling to the ground. He drops his gun. A scream of fear sounds through the forest though it's quickly cut off as Sonic clamps his strong jaws down over the man's head. He easily crushes the skull and gags at the disgusting iron taste of blood and brain matter.

He rushes to the second person and draws his hand back. He slashes his black claws across both of the man's ankles. A deep snap is heart as the man's achilles tendons both snap, rolling up his leg. He throws his head back with a scream, though it doesn't last as Sonic slashes his claws across his throat, slitting his artery. Sonic leaves the man in a bloody heap on the ground, body convulsing as his life force quickly dies away.

The third person manages to shoot a few rounds at Sonic, though the beast quickly manages to dodge it all. His quills bristle and an animalistic snarl rises in his throat, his green eyes wild. He shoots a rain of sharp navy blue quills at the man in front of him. They pierce his body in multiple places and Sonic uses the distraction to rush in. He stands on his hind legs, grabs both of the man's arms, and pulls.

The appendages are ripped from the body in a gush of blood. Sonic then kicks the man into a tree and continues on his way.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. No one even had time to react and try to stop Sonic. Under no circumstances will he allow himself to be captured again. Even if he is losing a dangerous amount of blood from the hole in his side.

The inside of his arm rubs uncomfortably against his left side, coating the fur in messy crimson liquid. With every step he feels more sick. His head is spinning and he can feel a trickle of blood running down the left side of his head from when he had been hit with the gun five times.

He can hear shouting behind him, growing fainter and fainter the further he gets. Though, this time, it's followed by the dangerous gunshots. The bullets hit the trees around Sonic, and he has to dodge a few here and there. He knows they're just shooting out blindly in hopes of crippling him in some way.

Sonic doesn't know how long he runs or how far he gets. His body is starting to slowly wear down with each step and he feels like crying from the intense pain blossoming throughout his body. Like when a drop of water hits paper and slowly spreads. But one thing is for sure, he'd die before he let himself be captured again.

A bullet suddenly hits the ground behind one of Sonic's feet. A startled yelp escapes as he stumbles forwards. He steps on a smooth rock and loses his footing. He slides forwards and falls. Gravity does the rest and pulls him down with her cold grasp. Sonic rolls down a steep hill, and if it isn't for the way it slopes, it would be considered more of a cliff than anything.

He rolls and rolls and rolls. Sticks stab at his skin and rocks bruise him painfully when he hits them. Leaves and twigs get tangled in his already matted navy blue fur. He leaves a heavy blood trail behind him as he descends the hill.

A large flat rock suddenly juts out from the side of the hill, angled upwards. Sonic rolls off of it and his stomach drops as he flies through the air with a cry. He hits the ground below soon after, landing with a splash in the small creek down below. He lands on his chest first, and he hears a loud snap followed by a sharp pain in his lung. He coughs up a few specks of blood shortly after.

The pebbles dig into his skin uncomfortably, and the cold water immediately seeps through his fur. Seeing as his fur will do no good in keeping him warm anymore, he shivers uncontrollably. The slowly moving water stings his wound greatly, sending a whole fresh shock of pain through his already worn down body.

He's exhausted. He can't focus. Nausea swims around in his stomach and he has to choke back the bile that repeatedly climbs up his throat. His head pounds painfully and his vision goes back and forth between blurry and clear. His heart is still racing in his chest and he knows that it probably isn't the safest to have his heart beating this fast for this long.

Within minutes his whole underside along with his arms and legs are completely soaked through. His sharp teeth chatter as strong shivers rip through his body, biting at his sore muscles. Every single sound is like a knife to his brain. Even with his ears pinned down against his skull, the sounds are still painful.

His blood clouds in the water and is gently carried away downstream. It leads a trail of watered down blood snaking through the water, leading back to the unmoving Sonic. He doesn't know how long he lays there, trembling both from the cold and pain.

A faint sound rises up in the distance. Sonic's ears slowly perk up atop his head, swiveling slowly around to try and put a name to the sound. He hears it again. And he goes completely still, eyes widening. _Barking. _He can hear _dogs. _His blood goes even colder than the icy creek he's laying in, and his heart stutters in his chest as a fresh wave of fear floods his system.

It wouldn't take long for the dogs to track him down. It's now or never to put more distance between himself and his captors, and he intends to chose "now".

Sonic's raspy breath rattles in his bruised chest as he slowly stands up on all fours. He looks like a drowned rat with the way his fur sticks to his scrawny body, showing every single bone. Anyone would be able to easily count each of his ribs from across the room, even if they had bad eyesight.

He slowly looks around, trying to focus on his surroundings. Everything is just a blend of browns and greens and grays. He can't make sense of any of it. He doesn't know where he is, he doesn't know where to go, and his body is just seconds away from giving out on him.

And then a thought swims up from the ocean of confusion in his brain. The _bullet_. When he had been shot, he hadn't felt the exit wound. Which means the bullet is still stuck deep in Sonic's side.

His whole world comes crashing to the side. He stumbles forwards, water splashing up around him. He breathes heavily as everything slowly starts to press down on his shoulders. His head clears somewhat and he can finally make out everything around him. But the thing he spots is a small overhang of rock, creating an even smaller cave underneath.

Sonic slowly limps over, grimacing with each step. He can hear the barking in the distance. It sounds somewhat closer. They're following his trail, so he'd have to make this fast.

The cave is just big enough to fit Sonic comfortably. He practically collapses against the wall when he gets there. He's breathing heavily and he leans his head back against the cold stone, breathing out slowly through his parted lips. He waits for the pain in his side to die down to a sharp throb, enough to where he can focus on getting the bullet out.

He sucks in a sharp breath and tries not to think about what he's about to do as he hovers his hand over his side. The claws of his index finger and thumb are centimeters away from the gaping, bloody hole in his side. With his head still against the stone wall, he slowly exhales through his nose and starts the procedure.

Sonic would've sobbed right then and there had he not bit the inside of his cheek. He plunges his finger and thumb into the wound. His eyes water and he has a sharp intake of breath. He can feel his finger and thumb ripping through the muscle, making room.

A fiery anguish burns through his entire body, and he suddenly doesn't feel cold anymore. He squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his jaw, gritting his teeth. A painful cry ghosts past his sharp teeth and tears mist over in his eyes. He refuses to let them fall, though.

His finger and thumb gradually sink slowly into his side. He has to take occasional pauses here and there because he would repeatedly start to feel sick and lightheaded. Sonic had almost passed out a few times, though he doesn't know if it's from blood loss or the pain.

But the bullet is in too deep. With a weak cry he has to push his whole hand into the wound in order to reach the bullet. Part of him doesn't understand why he's doing this. Part of him wonders if he really should be trying to take this bullet out of his side all by himself. But then his paranoia kicks in and tells him to keep doing it. What if it's a tracking device? What if it's poisoned? What if it's a combination of the two? He wouldn't put it past the humans, especially after all they've done to him.

And then finally, _finally_, he feels his claw scratch against something heard. A sigh of relief escapes as he grips the metal bullet with his two claws. He starts to carefully pull the bullet from the wound, not wanting his claws to slip due to the thick blood coating his hand and the bullet. The process is long, and Sonic would rather get shot point blank again than pull a bullet out of himself.

His claws suddenly slip from the bullet. The claws from his other fingers stab painfully into the muscle around. A choked sob escapes Sonic's throat and he bites his tongue to keep the tears from falling down his scarred muzzle. He quickly regains the bullet in his grasp though, and continues the procedure.

Slowly, he finally pulls the bullet from the even bigger hole in his side now. He doesn't even have the strength to hold the bullet up in front of his face for him to look at it. His hand drops to the stone floor, the bullet rolling away. He stares numbly at the wall opposite if him, sleek blood shinning on his hand and past his wrist. He breathes heavily and tries to keep himself from passing out due to the heavy blood flow from his side.

And in the distance, even closer than ever, he hears the barking of dogs.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_So? How'd you guys like it? Was it good? Bad? Okay? Do you want me to continue it? Also, what Sonic characters would you want to see show up in this? I have an idea of who's going to be in the story so far, but I'd like to hear your guys' input on things! And as for the "cover" to this story, I drew it myself. I didn't want to take anyone else's off of Google or something, and I like drawing so I thought why not? If you like my artwork, you can check out my Deviantart and even my YouTube channel for more. _

_Deviantart: _ dreamcatcheroflight

_Youtube: _ channel/UCkdE0jC9sErHReepfBehMZw?view_as=subscriber

_And with that out of the way, have a good day/night! _


	2. Chapter 1

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings: **_contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer: **_I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary: **_Times are changing in Sonic's world. Eggman is executed for the crimes he's committed and the government takes Sonic into captivity for their own personal gain. Sonic is forced to go through almost six years of absolute hell until he's finally able to escape. But he's not the same, and neither is anyone else, and there's the threat of a war between mobians and humans. How will Sonic cope will all the changes? Eventual Sonilver._

**Authors Note: **_thank you so much for the support on my new story! I'm glad you guys like it and I hope you continue to like it. That's all I really wanted to say, so enjoy! _

**Chapter 1: Escape**

The freezing cold is bitter, able to put anyone in a bad mood just by breathing it. It's been cold for some time, but the young fox who owns the building isn't able to do anything about it. He makes just enough money to pay the bills and keep himself alive, he doesn't have enough money to keep the heater going.

You'd think that he would've grown used to it by now, but he hasn't. Small tremors run through his body despite his longer fur. He has to force his hands to stay completely still so as not to mess anything up with the little trinket he's working on.

As he stands in front of the work table he's left to his own wondering thoughts. He can't help but think back to a certain blue hedgehog and all the adventures they've been on. They've pretty much been everywhere around the world and he's lost count of how many times they've saved the planet.

He remembers one time they had been trapped in a blizzard, forced to take cover in a cave. Tails had been fine. Cold, but not at risk of freezing to death. Sonic, on the other had, had been shivering worse than a leaf because his fur does little to nothing to keep out the cold. He wouldn't normally have to worry about it since he's constantly moving around, which keeps him warm in the colder climates, but right then he hadn't been moving. Tails had had to cover Sonic with his two namesakes so as to keep the hedgehog from dying of the cold.

Tails' heart swells with emotion and tears blur his vision. He has to set the trinket down on the table because he's too caught up in his mind to continue working on it at the moment. His two tails droop sadly behind him and his ears lower on his head.

Oh what he'd give to see Sonic one last time. To see his confident emerald irises and his trademark smirk that only he can manage to pull off. He at least wants to get the chance to say goodbye before his best friend disappeared.

He had searched for months on end, desperate to try and find even the smallest hint as to where Sonic had gone. No one had even _seen _Sonic on the day he disappeared. Sonic had just seemingly vanished from thin air, never to be seen again. But that hadn't deterred Tails. The fox had searched for almost a whole year before Amy and the others had to step in.

Tails has never been angry with Sonic for disappearing. He knows Sonic, the two are practically one half of the same coin. He knows Sonic wouldn't just up at leave. But it's been almost six years now and Tails is _exhausted. _He's been worn down too much, he's fallen too far down this hole the government has pushed him into. Any hope for ever seeing Sonic again had died down to a small flickering flame just seconds from dying out.

But he still fights, he still hopes. He refuses to ever give up on Sonic because Sonic wouldn't give up on Tails. But it's hard at times, seeing as no one is on Tails' side in search of the blue hero. Everyone has given up on finding Sonic. Even Amy his concluded that the blue blur is either dead or he betrayed them all. Whatever the case, Amy has sworn on multiple occasions that if she ever sees Sonic-dead or alive-she'd beat him beyond recognition with her hammer.

The government is corrupt, making living difficult. They're all struggling in a world that's completely against them. The prices have shot up through the roof for both humans and mobians. The government managed to turn the human population against the mobians after their beloved hero had seemingly left them for dead (which Tails knows isn't true). There's even new laws focused on the mobians to make it even harder to get by in this dark world.

The sound of a bell catches Tails' attention. A large ear twitches in its direction, his two namesakes twitching. His sharp hearing picks up the heavy footsteps against dusty concrete floor.

"Welcome to Tails' Workshop. How can I help you today, sir?" Tails hears his one and only employee say. Tails can clearly hear the mask of cheerfulness in his voice. Like his employee, everyone in this godforsaken city is either exhausted, not the nicest of people, or a mix of the two. It's everyone for themselves and Tails hates it.

"Where's your boss?" The customer asks with a grunt. Tails' heart sinks to his stomach and dread darkens his already low mood.

He knows this person. Henry Harris, one of Tails' regular clients. He's constantly coming to Tails for commissions, in which he turns around and sells the work for an even higher price than what he pays for. And Tails is severely under payed for the time, effort, and cost it takes to make whatever the man wants. But he can't ask for more money, it's one of the laws passed by the government. Mobians are allowed to be under payed without repercussion because they're just "filthy animals".

The only reason Tails puts up with this man is the fact that he's really the only client. Sure there are other people here and there who check out the place and maybe buy a thing or two, but that isn't enough to pay the bills. Tails needs all the money he can get his hands on in order to get through to the next month.

It wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact that Henry is the worst human being Tails has ever experienced. He's constantly giving Tails' short deadlines to meet, he's rude, and throws a fit whenever his commissions aren't done on time. And whenever his commissions aren't done on time, he reduces the money he pays by a lot for each day it isn't done.

"Yeah, he's in the back. I'll get him for you." More footsteps are heard and a human appears in the doorway, looking uneasy.

A black apron is tied around his slim waist and he stuffs his bony hands in the pockets of his baggy blue jeans. His brown eyes look everywhere but at Tails behind his shaggy sand colored hair. He sounds sympathetic as he says, "Mr. Harris wants to talk with you."

"Thanks, Kylo." Tails sighs, shoulders slumping. He points at a group of boxes that had arrived earlier that morning and says, "could you organize those boxes while I deal with this?"

"No problem, boss."

Tails can't get over how weird it feels to be looked up to. When Tails had first opened this workshop, Kylo had been the very first one to approach Tails and ask for a job. Tails isn't able to pay him much, but it seems that Kylo doesn't care. Apparently he was and still is Tails' biggest fan.

Their relationship has grown more casual over the two years that Kylo has been working for Tails, but there's still times when the teen subconsciously treats Tails formally instead of a friend.

Tails makes his way behind the front desk where he sees Henry standing on the other side, tapping his finger against the grimy counter top.

"Hello Mr. Harris. What can I-"

"You and I both know what I'm here for.' The man snaps, his blue gray eyes glaring angrily. An ugly sneer twists at his thin lips and greasy sweat collects at his wrinkled forehead. For some reason, he seems more on edge today than any other times he's picked up or ordered a commission. "Is it done yet?"

Tails shuffles nervously. "U-um...it's-I'm about halfway done." Tails' voice is meek and scared sounding. He actually looks his age. A kid just trying to make his way through the cruel and unforgiving world. _'If only Sonic were here.' _

"The deadline was supposed to be today!" Henry shouts, throwing his hands in the air. His booming voice causes Tails to flinch away, chewing nervously at the inside of his cheek. A habit he's picked up from all the stressed he's collected over the years.

"How what am I supposed to tell my client now, huh? That some stupid piss yellow anthro doesn't know how to get things done properly? Huh!?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Harris but-"

"Sorry doesn't finish the battery!" He runs a thick hand through greasy dark brown hair. Tails averts his eyes, biting his cheek harder so as not to cry. If he cried in front of this man he'd be ridiculed even more. Besides, he has to be like Sonic. Sonic wouldn't cry. Sonic would probably tell this man to stuff it and then punch him shortly after, which is something Tails wants to do really badly right now.

"You have one day to finish this you stupid little cunt. If it isn't finished by tomorrow at three P.M. _sharp_, then expect a visit from my friends." He turns and takes a few steps towards the door he came in from, though he promptly stops and looks over his shoulder. "Oh, and one more thing. Consider this the last commission I order."

It takes only a split second for the meaning to sink in. It makes Tails feel sick. His heart feels like its disintegrating in his digestive system, turned into disgusting green acid that bubbles with the heat of fear.

:Please reconsider!" Tails exclaims, leaning forwards with his hands splayed out on the counter, supporting his weight. "I"ll do better! I'll work faster, just please don't-"

"It's too late. I've warned you multiple times before."

"I've just been busy! Let me-"

"Busy with what!? Messing around like the dumb brat you are instead of doing what you're supposed to do?"

"No! That isn't true at all!"  
"Stop whining already!" The man shouts. He turns around and slams his hands down on the counter. Tails flinches and pulls his hands back, almost afraid that Henry would smash them out of anger. "If you keep whining I'll give you a reason to really cry abo-"

The bell suddenly rings, followed by a sharp yell of "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Henry slowly stands straight. Pure malice burns in his eyes as he turns around to face the newcomer. Tails can clearly see his posture is stiff and uncomfortable.

Amy stands in the doorway with both of her hands holding onto her piko-piko hammer. Her eyebrows are downcast and her forest greek eyes are shaky with anger. Her dirtied, torn clothes and unkempt quills only add to her furious aura.

"I see your little friend is here," Henry says, adjusting his coat. He looks back over his shoulder at Tails. "Remember _fox_, three o'clock sharp."

Henry then walks towards the door, sneering at Amy as he passes. And then he's gone, his heavy footsteps echoing down the wet alleyway.

Tails can't exactly say he's relieved. Even though he doesn't want to deal with Henry on a weekly basis, he doesn't want to lose his main source of income. He might have to give up another appliance, like the water or maybe even the insurance if push comes to shove.

"Was he giving you a hard time, Tails?" Amy asks as she makes her way to the front desk. Her hammer disappears in a puff of smoke. "I don't know why you put up with that guy. He's such a jackass!"

"I've told you not to worry about me," Tails says indignantly as he takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. He's too tired to deal with this today. He's too tired to deal with this at all, to be frank.

"You know I can't not worry." Amy says as she leans against the counter. "You don't exactly have any weapons to protect yourself with.'

"I don't need weapons."

Amy takes a deep breath. "Tails, this isn't like the "good ol' days". You can't just simply defend yourself with your two tails."

The young fox looks away, his chest constricting with emotion. "If Sonic was here-"

"Sonic is gone, Tails! Just face it. He got bored of us and left us here to rot away! He's probably living the good life on some island-"

"You don't know that!" Tails shouts back, angry tears burning in his eyes. His fur bristles furiously and his ears are flat against his skull. His tails swish in quick tornadoes behind him. "He might be out there somewhere, unable to help us. What if he needs our help more than we need his? What if-"

"Stop with the what if's! He's gone, Tails. You'll never see him again. "

"You know, I never thought you'd be the first to lose hope so quickly.'

A tense silence fills the room once more. The two glare angrily at one another, their anger crashing like two continents colliding. The only sound is their heavy breathing and the quiet scuffing of footsteps from the backroom as Kylo continues working.

Amy sighs, her shoulders slumping. "Tails, I'm-"

The sudden sound of claws scratching against the door cuts Amy off. The two both freeze and hold their breath, eyes widening. The scratching against the metal door is a high pitched screech, causing Amy and Tails to cover their ears.

"Get down!" Amy hisses quietly as she leaps over the counter. She lands in a crouch and Tails drops down beside her, heart racing in his chest. "It might be one of those _things_. Just stay behind me Tails. It won't manage to take two steps towards you before I beat the living hell out of it."

* * *

**-Earlier-**

The blood loss is greatly affecting him. He can't think clearly and his head is spinning as fast as he can run in his normal form. Every step is stumbled over something or nothing at all, and he is repeatedly running into trees.

Everything is a muffled blur of sound to his flattened ears. It's just a blend of nonsense noise in the background that he probably should be paying more attention to, but he can't focus enough to actually understand any of it. He's hyper aware of everything he is, but the forest feels like an unimportant smear on a perfect painting that can easily be covered.

Sonic suddenly bursts from the treeline. He stumbles to a sloppy halt, breathing heavily as he slowly takes everything in. He can feel the leaves and twigs stuck in his fur, rubbing uncomfortably against his beaten body. He feels almost completely numb, despite the fact that his wound is still bleeding and he's still damp from the water he had fallen in. All he feels is a dull pounding through his body. It makes him feel sick and he has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from gagging.

In front of him is a short stretch of tall, yellow grass that smells strongly of mold. Beyond that is a city he's very familiar with. It's the place where he's lived for most of his life. If he had known he was this close to the city, to all his friends, he would've tried nonstop to escape.

Built stabs at his stomach and he has to sit back on his haunches so as not to collapse. He forces away the familiar sting of tears in his eyes. He _will not _cry. He has to show that he's strong, he has to be strong. If he isn't it'll be certain death. That's the rule he's been living by for almost six years, and he doesn't intend to stray too far away from it.

Sonic squints his eyes so as to see the city better. To his surprise, it's barely recognizable. The buildings are more dark and plain than he remembers and the streets look completely empty.

Sonic carefully approaches the city, eyes wide as he takes it all in. Some places look completely abandoned by the way rusting cars are scattered about cracked asphalt and overgrown buildings.

'_What happened?' _Sonic thinks to himself. His ears slowly perk forwards, listening for any possible danger. A shiver courses through his slowly numbing body, and he has half an instinct to run back to the grassland from how icy cold the concrete feels beneath his bloody paws. His black claws click dully against the ground, echoing off the cracked, empty buildings.

Sonic's breath collects in the air as he stumbles down the street. The whole place reeks of humans and their disgust. He's too exhausted to try and get out of there, to pass by the city to find a safer place to hide. And even if he wanted to he wouldn't be able to. He needs help from all the blood he's lost. There's also a small bud of hope buried deep in his cautious heart.

There's still a chance the others could still be around here. And he so badly wants to see them again.

The sound of heavy footsteps catch Sonic's attention. He pauses mid step, gingerly tasting the sour air. His ears perk forwards and he identifies the sound coming from an alleyway not too far ahead off to his right. The footsteps are too heavy to be a mobian, so Sonic immediately registers them as human.

Sonic instinctively crouches low to the ground so that the matted fur on his chest brushes against the cracked concrete. His lips curl back in a snarl and he listens as the human grows closer and closer. Sonic's tired muscles coil up in anticipation, he doesn't want to fight but he would if he has to.

"Stupid fox," he hears a male voice spit out. Sonic's heart stutters in his chest and he forces himself not to grow antsy. He forces any thoughts away at what the man could mean. He has to focus.

"He should know what's good for him, especially after last t-"

The man turns the corner and immediately freezes when he sees Sonic. His hand moves to his waist but Sonic gives him no time to draw whatever weapon he has. The beast lunges at the man, landing just inches in front of him with a guttural growl ripping from his dry throat.

The man stumbles backwards and falls to his behind on the ground with a deep "oof" of surprise. Sonic takes his chance and pushes the man back with two heavy paws on his shoulders. His claws pierce through the dirty clothes and dig into the man's skin.

"D-damn beast!" He breathes out, his eyes locking with Sonic's. Fierce anger burns heatedly in shadowed eyes. Sonic lets out a snarl, his pointed nose just centimeters away from the man's own stubby, upturned nose. He leans forwards, his arms slightly shaking with the weight of his body. He can feel his claws dig deeper under the skin of the human, which pulls a grunt of pain from the man's gritted teeth.

"You win!" The man suddenly exclaims as Sonic slowly opens his jaw to show rows of harsh, pointed teeth. "Let me go! I promise I won't bother that fox anymore! Please, I'm only thirty-two! I have a wife and kids-"

Sonic feels a sense of excitement course through his heart as he slowly lowers his jaw to the man's throat. And it makes him feel sick to his stomach, but he can't control it. He feels like he's outside his own body, watching everything happen as if in a trance. He so desperately wants to stop, to spare this man's life and let him run off to his wife and children, but he can't.

And then the spell is broken as something breaks against his left side. A high pitched yelp escapes Sonic's open mouth and he stumbles away, one paw gripping his bleeding side. He can feel multiple objects stuck in his side, all sharp and jagged drawing more blood from the gaping hole from the gunshot just barely an hour before.

Sonic's eyes spot the broken bottle held in the man's left hand, gleaming with Sonic's own blood. Some of it drips down to the ground in small, bright drops. It stains the grimy concrete, blending with the wetness from the rainfall that had taken place earlier.

The man takes his chance. He scrambles to his feet and quickly runs down the sidewalk, throwing the broken bottle to the side as he does so. Sonic watches, breathing heavily as the bottle shatters into more sharp pieces of glass. It lays there, almost as if crouched behind a bush, ready to spring at another unsuspecting victim.

_'Damn.' _He thinks to himself as he looks over at his bloodstained side. The hit had stunned him, but he hadn't really felt any pain. He doesn't know if it's from the shock or from the cold, or both for that matter, but he knows it's pretty serious.

Slowly, he looks down the dark alleyway from which the man had come from. He doesn't know what pulls him down the alleyway, or why he even started following the scent trail back the way the man had came, but something is telling him to do it. And it shouldn't matter anyways, as long as he gets help.


	3. Chapter 2

Broken of Sanity

Warnings: _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

Disclaimer: _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _Prologue _for more information._

Rating: _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

Summary: _Times are changing in Sonic's world. Eggman is executed for the crimes he's committed and the government takes Sonic into captivity for their own personal gain. Sonic is forced to go through almost six years of absolute hell until he's finally able to escape. But he's not the same, and neither is anyone else, and there's the threat of a war between mobians and humans. How will Sonic cope will all the changes? Eventual Sonilver._

**Chapter 2: Encounter**

Slowly, Sonic stumbles down the alleyway from which the man had come from. His paws drag against the grimy ground while his lungs struggle to take in the appropriate amount of air, though it's difficult when each breath feels like glass stabbing into the delicate muscles.

He stops at the end where a metal door is closed. A flashing blue and red "_OPEN_" sign is nailed to the wall on the right, though it seems to be in poor condition. The N on the end is flickering on and off while it makes an annoying buzzing sound. There is also a run down sign right above the door. The grimy yellow paint is chipping off and the white letters are so dirty they look almost black. Sonic squints in order to focus long enough to read the words _"WELCOME TO TAILS' WORKSHOP!"_.

It takes a moment for the words to sink in. Sonic stands there, staring blankly before his eyes widen. _'Wait...Tails?' _He thinks to himself. He can't help but feel a flickering of hope stutter in his quickly beating heart as the face of a young fox flashes in his mind.

He tries not to jump to conclusions just yet. Well, that's what he'd tell himself in a normal situation, but this isn't a normal situation. There is a gaping hole in his side and he's running on what little blood he has left in his body. He doesn't have a clear mind, far from it actually. He's too exhausted to think otherwise, and so he throws caution and logical explanations out the window.

Sonic slowly stands on his back legs, hissing with pain. Sure, his body might be mostly numb, but that doesn't mean that he still can't feel some pain. And stretching his side to stand on his hind legs is enough pain to break through the numb barrier coating his body.

He lifts a paw and scratches his sharp claws against the metal of the door. A high pitched shriek immediately echoes off the door. The noise runs through his ear canals and pierce his brain like a knife through the gut. Sonic sways on his feet with a high pitched whine, pressing a paw against his head. He quickly blinks so as to clear the white dots from his vision.

Sonic's ears lower against his head as his eyes slowly wonder over to the flashing _"OPEN" _sign once more. And then it hits him, and he wants to slap himself so hard across the face that he hits the wall beside him. Why hadn't he just thought to open the door like a normal person? That would have avoided him the sharp brain the noise caused.

He wants so badly to blame it on the fact that he can't think very clearly from the blood loss and all, but he knows that isn't the true reason. Deep down he knows that the longer he stays in this beastly form, the more animalistic he becomes. And that scares him beyond belief, so he tries to ignore that fact as much as he can.

Until he starts to become a rampaging killing machine. Then he can't ignore that small little detail anymore.

With a deep breath, Sonic slowly turns the doorknob, careful to not let his claws scratch against the metal again. He hears the quiet click, signaling the door is open.

With a small push, the door creaks open, ringing a bell above as it does. Sonic jumps, having not expected it, though quickly calms his bristling fur as he lowers down onto all fours once more. Standing on his hind legs in this form is fairly uncomfortable, not to mention painful because of his side.

The flickering from a few lights on the ceiling, a desk lamp on the main counter, and a light coming from the open doorway from a backroom is the only light in the entire building. It doesn't bother Sonic too much, seeing as he has fairly decent night vision in the dark when he's in this form.

There are shelves lined neatly into rows through the small area. On the shelves sit boxes and different little trinkets that Sonic can't make out. It looks like the building is fairly empty so far, seeing as Sonic can hear nothing except for his own rugged breathing and the pounding of his heart.

There is a strong scent of metal in the air. It twists Soinc's stomach with a knife of nausea. It reminds him of the suffocating smell of blood. Something that has been burned deep into his brain. He can't even stand smelling it on himself, and his whole journey to the town and then some has been driving him crazy with how strongly the blood smells in his matted fur.

Sonic distracts himself with different scents. The first he catches is the scent of the man he had followed to get here. It smells strongly of aftershave and cigarettes and heavy cologne. Sonic's nose wrinkles with disgust and he has to swallow thickly to keep the nausea down once more.

The next scent causes him to pause. It smells of freshly bloomed roses and Sonic immediately places a name to the smell. _'Amy.' _He thinks hopefully. His heart stutters at the thought and a warmth spreads through his belly to his face. He's glad he has fur to hide the blush that he's sure is on his skin.

In his years of imprisonment, he's had time to look back on his thoughts and feelings for his friends. Amy had been one of the first, and despite the fact that it hurts his pride to admit it, he really does like her. She's always been there for him, whether he wanted her to be or not. She's been his backup and has even protected him a few times to allow himself to get his bearings straight before fighting again.

To be honest, Amy's one of the most important people in Sonic's life. Aside from Tails, of course.

Speaking of Tails, he catches the familiar scent of his self proclaimed brother. The strong scent of fresh air over a bright blue ocean. It's the smell of absolute freedom. The smell is all over the building and Sonic has to struggle with swallowing the lump that has formed in his throat.

He hasn't seen Tails for almost _six _years. Six years! Sonic had started to fear that he'd never see his little buddy again, but here he is in Tails' very shop. And with Amy as an added bonus. He couldn't be anymore happy than he is right now. He can't put into words how relieved he is.

Sonic slowly limps forwards, following the scent of roses to the front desk. His ears are raised with the hope of hearing any sign of his two friends. He knows they're here and he oh so desperately wants to see them, to prove that he hasn't gone crazy and is smelling what he wants to believe is true.

He's only a few feet away from the front desk when a pink hedgehog suddenly lunges over the top of the counter. She lands in a crouch though she quickly springs up into a defensive stance, gripping her pink piko-piko hammer tightly in her two hands.

Sonic quickly flinches away, shutting his eyes, half expecting to get hit. When he doesn't feel his bones crushed beneath the hit of a hammer, he slowly opens his eyes to see the hedgehog standing in front of the counter. He immediately perks up, a smile growing on his wolfish muzzle at the sight of her.

Amy.

She stands there, body tense. A fierceness burns in her green eyes, something Sonic has never seen in his entire life on the normally upbeat pinkette. Her ears are lowered on her head and she flexes her fingers on her piko-piko hammer, as if trying to find the right hold for the perfect hit.

The frown slowly falls from Sonic's muzzle as he stares at her, puzzled. His head cocks to the side with confusion and a brow raises. "Amy? Don't you reco-"

"Shut it before I shove my hammer so far down your throat it comes out the other end." Amy hisses angrily, raising her hammer in a threatening way. Sonic takes a few steps back, ears lowering, eyes widening. Is this really Amy? How'd she get so violent? And aggressive?

But her personality isn't the only thing that's changed. Her whole appearance has taken a whole 180 change. Her pink fur seems faded and darker, somehow managing to change her different personality. Her red dress is gone, replaced with dark green cargo pants and a black tank top. The pants have multiple zipped pockets and Sonic can only imagine what they're being used for. The tank top is tucked into the cargo pants.

On her hands, instead of the normal white gloves, are fingerless dark green gloves which show off her unsheathed white nails which could probably deal a fair amount of damage all on their own. They aren't enough to completely destroy an enemy, but they look sharp enough to leave a nasty scar behind.

To finish it all off, Amy is wearing black army boots that go halfway up her calves. There is a black sheathe wrapped around her upper right thigh with the hilt of some type of weapon sticking out, colored a dark red. There is a rusting silver ring around her left ring finger, the jewel missing from it.

Even her hammer has changed. The handle of the hammer is completely metal and rusting at the base where the head of the hammer connects. Her hands are wrapped around ripped black foam where her hands are supposed to go, and there are even some bloodstains here and there on the metal. The head of the hammer is still the same yellow and red color, though it looks more solid and deadly than before. There are even small spikes circling around both outer edges of the hammer.

"What happened to-"

"I said shut it!" Amy practically roars, her ears flat against her skull now. She takes a few steps forwards though she still keeps her fighting stance. "One more word and you won't even realize what happened before you're smashed in a puddle of blood and gore on the ground. I don't think Tails would want that mess in-"

"Tails?!" Sonic suddenly exclaims, perking up. Amy pauses, eyes narrowing as Sonic carefully looks around her at the counter. His heart races in his chest and he fights the urge to tear the place apart in order to find his little buddy. "I knew this was his place. Though, I wasn't expecting to see you here Am-"

Amy suddenly smashes one side of her hammer against the floor, creating a cracked indent in the concrete. Sonic jumps back with a surprised yelp, his fur and quills bristling.

"I've give you enough warnings dicknut," Amy says, lifting her hammer up over her shoulder. She glares at Sonic with a fiery hate he's only ever seen on the faces of the humans who've tortured him for almost six years. "Should've run when you had the chance."

Amy raises her hammer over her head and in one swift motion, she brings it down directly over Sonic's head. Sonic completely freezes up, his whole body going rigid. All he can do is watch with wide eyes as the yellow of the hammer comes down above him, ready to deliver a devastating blow.

"Stop!" A new voice suddenly yells. The hammer stops just centimeters away from Sonic's nose. He can feel the air press against his face from the force of the hammer. His heart stutters painfully in his chest and he sucks in a sharp breath, feeling dizzy again.

"Tails what are you doing!?" Amy suddenly yells, pulling her hammer away from the mutated hedgehog. He stumbles forwards, barely able to catch himself before he collapses. He exhales heavily, eyes watering from the fear coursing through his entire body.

_'I almost died.' _Sonic thinks, slowly looking up to stare at Amy. Even though she's still facing him, her head is turned over her shoulder to look back at the counter behind her. _'_Amy _almost killed me.' _

"I can't-I can't let you...kill him." Tails' voice says, sounding quiet. Sonic doesn't miss the tensing of Amy's shoulders as she turns her head back to face Sonic. Her green eyes blaze with annoyance and Sonic can clearly see her grinding her teeth.

"Tails, this is one of those _things_. Why would you want to save it?"

Sonic slowly leans over to look over at the counter once more. His whole body completely goes still and his breath hitches in his throat. Standing behind the counter is none other than Miles Prower. Tails. Sonic's self proclaimed brother. And this time, Sonic can't hold back the tears.

Tails' eyes immediately lock with Sonic and the air seems to grow still. Amy even remains quiet, watching the scene unfold before her. The two just stare at one another for the longest time, tears streaming down Sonic's muzzle while Tails doesn't even seem to breathe he's so shocked.

"Sonic...?" Tails breathes out after a while, slowly walking from around the counter. His voice sounds so small and scared, so full of broken hope. It pulls at Sonic's heart and his whole body seems to _ache _with the raw emotion he's feeling. Tails' blue eyes are so heart stricken and innocent and hopeful and Sonic wants nothing more than to rush over and pull Tails into a bear hug, never wanting to let go.

"Tails." Sonic sighs out, a whimper escaping his throat as he takes a few steps forwards. He feels exhausted all of a sudden, like the emotion allowed his body to finally relax and calm down, to realize that he needs a good night's sleep. Or more.

A choked sob escapes Sonic and his whole body shakes. Tails looks almost exactly like he did five years ago. His fur is still that rich sunny yellow and white while his eyes are the same bright blue eyes. There are goggles that sit atop his head, one of the red lenses cracked and his two namesakes look somewhat tangled. There is a dirty apron tied around his waist and he's wearing thick dark brown gloves. But other than that, he's still the Tails Sonic knows and loves.

"Is it-is it really you?" Tails asks, his voice cracking, ears lowering. His bottom lip trembles and his two tails raise off the ground hopefully.

"O-of course it's me! Tails, I'm so, _so _sor-"

"Get back." Amy suddenly says, stepping between Sonic and Tails. Sonic looks up at Amy's face, exhaustion clear on his own. He sits back on his rump once more, like a dog sitting patiently for a treat after doing a trick. He hates himself for it, he hates the way he's acting like an animal.

"Amy, what-"

"Tails, do you really think this is Sonic?" Amy cuts Tails off, gesturing to Sonic with her hammer. "He looks nothing like him! I mean, yeah, he has...a shade of blue fur and quills and somewhat resembles a hedgehog, but Sonic looks nothing like this! Not even in his werehog form!"

"You never know, Amy!" Tails argues, a tone of desperation to his voice. "What if-what if something happened? Maybe that's why Sonic hasn't been back all this time. Maybe he _couldn't _come back! This-do you really believe Sonic would willingly look like this?"

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" Amy asks quietly, her shoulders shaking just in the slightest. She looks away and bites her lip, as if trying to control her emotions. "Sonic is _gone_, Tails. He's never coming back! This isn't Sonic. You're just trying to convince yourself that it is because-"

"How come you can't accept that theory? Huh?" Tails asks, anger taking over his tone. Sonic frowns, ears lowering. Tails hadn't been easy to anger. Even this wouldn't cause Tails to grow so angry so fast. What had happened in the five years that Sonic has been gone?

"Don't you remember the last time some monster pretended to be Sonic?" Amy shouts, turning around to fully face Tails. She lets go of her hammer with one hand and uses it to lift up her shirt, not even bothering to turn and face Tails. Tails remains quiet while Amy stands there, glaring furiously at Sonic.

She lifts the hem of her shirt just below her chest, giving a full view of her abdomen and back. Sonic can't see her back, but he can see the tips of three equal scars poking out from her left and right side. Her hand shakes as she holds her shirt up, eyes misting over with tears.

"Just like you I thought that thing was Sonic." Amy snaps, dropping her shirt. She grips her hammer with both hands once more, shoulders shaking more violently now. "We had been tricked. Remember? And because of my stupidity that thing almost killed me. And now the same is going to happen with this one! I just don't want to lose-!..."

"I'm not Emilia."

Amy's breath hitches at the name and her whole body goes stiff. She lowers her head, but Sonic can still clearly see the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

"Who's...who's Emilia?" Sonic slowly asks, leaning forwards. He keeps his voice light, not wanting to sound like he's prying into Amy's business.

Amy's head jerks up and the hatred in her green eyes is so fierce it almost physically stings. She points her hammer at Sonic and growls out, "if you don't shut up, I won't hesitate to bash your skull in so hard your brain turns to liquid."

Sonic bites the inside of his cheek, holding his breath at the redness around her eyes from the tears. He hadn't noticed it before, but her eyes are red rimmed and puffy. There are even dark bags under them, almost like she hasn't had enough sleep in the past year. It looks like she's been crying a lot, too.

"Hey, Ames, you okay?" Sonic asks, frowning. He's never seen Amy this upset before, not even when he would get hurt on one of his raids to Eggman's base.

The thought of Eggman churns Sonic's stomach and he has to pinch himself to keep from gagging.

"Don't-_don't _call me that." Amy towers over Sonic menacingly, but she won't get closer than five feet. "I'm tired of this. I'm sorry Tails, but I have to get rid of this thing."

"No!" Tails shouts, and Sonic can hear the rush of footsteps as Tails runs up behind Amy, grabbing her arms.

"Let go!" Amy shouts, struggling to get away from Tails.

"I won't let you kill him!"

"Tails, you're being ridiculous!"

"I'd rather be ridiculous than let you kill Sonic! I just got him back, I can't lose him again!"

Sonic suddenly sees movement out of the corner of his eye. His ears perk up and he quickly turns his head. His eyes immediately zero in on the human slowly creeping out from the backroom, holding a pistol in his shaking hands. He freezes when he sees Sonic watching him.

The kid looks no older than fifteen, maybe sixteen at the most. He's tall and scrawny and his clothes hang on his body. His skin is pale and his shaggy hair is dirty and greasy. His eyes are wide and scared as he slowly lifts the pistol, aiming directly at Sonic's head.

A low growl escapes Sonic's throat as he slowly starts stalking forwards. Amy and Tails are too busy arguing to notice Sonic's slow stalking of the human behind the desk.

He doesn't feel like himself. He can't control his actions. It's pure instinct as he slowly draws closer and closer to this human. He doesn't know why, this human hadn't even done anything. Like the man he had tackled in front of the alleyway. He doesn't have any control of himself.

Adrenaline courses through his bloodstream as he comes to a stop, crouched low to the ground. His muscles bunch up under mangy, tangled fur and his ears perk forwards with alertness. He's zeroed in on his target, it would only take under five seconds to pounce and deliver the killing blow-

"Kylo!"

"Sonic!"


	4. Chapter 3

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _Prologue _for more information._

Rating: _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Times are changing in Sonic's world. Eggman is executed for the crimes he's committed and the government takes Sonic into captivity for their own personal gain. Sonic is forced to go through almost six years of absolute hell until he's finally able to escape. But he's not the same, and neither is anyone else, and there's the threat of a war between mobians and humans. How will Sonic cope will all the changes? Eventual Sonilver._

**Authors Note:** _sorry this chapter was a little choppy, I wanted to keep to the theme of long chapters._

**Chapter 3: Grasping for Hope**

Tails watches, horrified. It's like his feet have grown roots that have buried deep into the ground, preventing him from moving. His whole body shakes and tears fill his eyes as the monster before him lunges at Kylo. Had he been wrong? Is this thing really a monster? Is it even Sonic?

Amy reacts in the blink of an eye. With a few quick steps she's in front of Kylo, swinging her heavy hammer at the Sonic-not-Sonic monster. It slams into its left side, sending it crashing through a handful of shelves. They collapse upon impact, the knickknacks spilling out over the floor. The fragile ones shatter upon impact.

A pathetic high crying can be heard as the creature writhes around on the floor, tears streaming down its dirtied cheeks. Those expressive green eyes are only filled with pure agony, begging to whatever he can look at long enough to put him out of his misery.

Tails can't bring himself to move. His heart slams painfully against his rib cage, his own tears streaming down his fluffy cheeks as the pink hedgehog approaches the creature. She looks less than happy as she raises her hammer just above the creature's head, adjusting her grip to get the best hit.

"W-wait," Tails hears himself croak out. He feels lightheaded as he quickly approaches Amy. He desperately grabs onto her arms, feeling the tense muscles beneath her skin as she glares angrily at Tails.

"He attacked Kylo!" Amy shouts, wrenching her arm away from Tails' weak grasp. "I'm killing him. If this was Sonic, he wouldn't have attacked. I'm sorry Tails b-"

Tails quickly moves to stand in front of Amy, holding his arms out. His two tails bristle and a fierceness burns in his sky blue eyes. His large ears are laying low on his head and his lip even curls back in a snarl as he barks out, "I already told you I'm not losing Sonic again! And if you don't like it, you can leave!"

Amy blinks in surprise at the young fox. She even slowly lowers her hammer, eyes wide as she glances at the writhing creature behind him. She shakes her head, her own ears lowering as she locks eyes with Tails once more. "Fine. Have it your way, but I'm not going to help when this all turns into a shit storm. I warned you, Tails. Don't say I didn't."

Amy moves back over to where Kylo is standing. Meanwhile, Tails quickly turns around and kneels down on the floor beside the creature.

"Sonic-oh my god." Tails exclaims as he sees the slick blood coating the concrete floor of his workshop. Tears blur his vision as his hands hover above the gaping hole in Sonic's side. His mind goes blank, he can't think clearly with all the emotions surging through him like a raging river.

The creature gives out a low whine, slowly curling up in a lose ball on his side. His ears are pressed flat against his head and his green eyes are staring pleadingly at Tails, making him look more like a puppy who lost it's mother. A puppy that's been beaten within an inch of it's life while it's mother lay bleeding to death a few feet away.

"You-you're gonna be okay," Tails quickly says, taking a deep breath. He struggles to think of what to do. He has to practically force his brain to start working again as he presses his gloved hands down against the wound. This earns another whine, though it's weaker than the first. Tails also notices the quick, raspy breathing and the harsh shaking coming from the battered body.

"T-Tails," it chokes out, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Although the voice is more deeper and gruff than Sonic's actual voice, it still brings sharp tears attacking the corners of Tails' eyes as he stares into deep pools of emerald green. The same emerald green that he's practically grown up with since he was a little kit.

"Don't-don't talk," Tails stutters, looking back at his now bloodstained gloves. He turns his head, hot rivulets of tears streaming down his face as he yells, "prepare the medical supplies, Kylo! He's-Sonic's hurt real bad!"

The kid only gives a shaky nod and retreats into the back room, leaving Amy standing by herself. Tails looks back to Sonic, trying to force a wobbly smile onto his trembling lips. "You're gonna be okay, I promise you're gonna be okay."

"'m so-sorry," Sonic says, eyelids fluttering.

"No-no don't be sorry!" Tails quickly exclaims, adding more pressure. Sonic gives a low hum of a whine but does nothing else. His green eyes are staring into the abyss, bloodstained lips parted as he takes in raspy gasps of air. Tails has a sneaking suspicion that one of his ribs had impaled his lung from the force of the hit.

"N-n'ver st-oped...thi-inking about ev'ryo-ne..." Sonic gasps out, his eyes slowly roaming over to meet Tails' once more. He cracks a weak smile, only to cough up more blood a second later. "I tr-ied...to g-get back...h-ome..."

"Sonic _please_, save your strength." Tails begs, forcing himself not to pull Sonic into a tight hug. He has to focus, though he isn't doing a really great job at that right now.

"S-orry...I kept y-ya waitin'...li-ittle buddy."

A sharp, gut-wrenching feeling of fear attacks Tails' stomach as Sonic's eyelids flutter once more. His eyes roll into the back of his head and his eyelids close, his whole body going limp.

"Sonic?" Tails quickly asks, eyes widening. A choked sob escapes as he presses down against Sonic's side with all his weight. He has to stop the bleeding, but that's been pushed to the back of his head with the sudden turn of events. "Oh my god-don't you do this to me! Please Sonic! I just got you back, I can't-I can't lose you again!"

"Tails, I think he's-"

"He's not dead!" Tails shouts, cutting Amy off. The desperation in his voice is like a cold, dull knife trying to cut through a slab of metal. All it does is leave shallow scratches in the hopes to shut out the truth, to deny the fact that nothing is actually happening despite how much he really wants to ignore that fact. "I won't let him die! I promised him he'd be okay, I promised-he's...he's the only thing I have left!"

Rushed footsteps are heard as Kylo runs over to Tails' side. The fox can clearly see the kid is still shaken up by almost being mauled by the very creature he's trying to help save. Despite this, there's still determination in his lively eyes and he bites his lip with concentration, waiting for orders.

Tails can't explain how relieved he is to have Kylo helping him. Kylo doesn't have a personal relation with Sonic, so he'll have more of a clear head than Tails. He could keep better track of Sonic's condition than Tails, not to mention he's more medically skilled than Tails. Kylo's mother _does _work as a doctor, after all. She's even helped to stitch up a wound here or there that Tails had gotten from working on a project of his.

"Help me carry him to the back room," Tails says as he slips his arms under Sonic's shoulders. Kylo positions himself so he's beside Sonic's hips. On three, the two quickly lift Sonic up into their arms and rush to the back room, passing Amy as they do so.

Tails doesn't miss the glimmer of tears in the pink hedgehog's eyes as she watches them pass her.

* * *

"How could you let it get away!?" A voice booms out in the small office. Bony hands slam down onto the surface of a dark stained oak wood desk. It sends papers flying every which way, gently gliding down to the carpeted floor below. But that's the least of his worries as he glares at the cowering team of men before him.

"W-we're sorry, sir, but he's just so...fast!" One of the men bravely speak out, though he flinches back when the scientist sends a heart stopping glare his way.

"That doesn't matter! General Todd managed to shoot him at point blank with a _shotgun_ and you bumbling retards managed to _still _let him get away!"

No one says a word. They all shuffle uncomfortably, looking at everything but the doctor. Said doctor lets out a stressed sigh and stands up straight, pinching the bridge of his nose. He takes a few slow breaths before holding his hands behind his back.

"No matter. He's infected already, it's only a matter of time before my prototype goes into effect." A sly smile slowly grows on his old, thin cracked lips. They pull back to reveal disgusting yellow stained teeth and rotting, almost black gums. "It's only a matter of time."

* * *

Tails sits on a stool beside the makeshift hospital table on which Sonic is currently laying on. He's struggling to keep his emotions in check as his blue eyes roam the multiple bandages wrapped around the battered form of a once proud hero. Now all he is is some monster who obviously has severe trauma. It's clear with how he reacted towards Kylo.

"Hey, boss?" Speaking of Kylo, the kid walks into the back room. He had changed out his bloody apron and gloves for some clean ones, but there's still dark red stains on his shirt and pants where the apron hadn't been able to protect him from. There are even some splotches of dried blood on his arms and face as well.

"Hm?" Tails hums, his eyes lingering on Sonic's face for a few seconds before roaming over to look at Kylo's face. The kid looks absolutely exhausted and shaken up. His hair is messy and sticking out in random directions while his face is ghostly pale.

"Can I-um, I'm...I'm gonna clock out for the night." Kylo says, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He glances warily at Sonic, as if half expecting him to leap right off the table to attack again. "Mrs. Amy said she'd bring some more blood transfusions from the hospital early tomorrow."

"Alright. See you later, Kylo." Tails forces a small smile as the kid gives a grateful nod. He turns and starts walking. "Oh, and you can have the day off tomorrow, if you'd like. You seem pretty shaken up about all this."

Kylo stops and looks over his shoulder, giving Tails a grateful smile. "Thanks, you don't know how much I need it."

"Take it easy, kid."

"Will do, boss."

And with that, Kylo leaves. Tails is alone once more, his eyes looking back to Sonic's unconscious form. He still can't get over how different Sonic looks. Sure, he's seen Sonic in multiple forms over the years, but nothing like...this. He somewhat resembles his werehog form, but at the same time he doesn't. And his personality is also way different than the werehog.

For starters, Sonic's fur is a darker shade of blue, almost navy blue. His fur is fluffier, well, as fluffy as it can be when it's matted with tangles and dried blood. His cheeks, chest, and hands are all a light icy blue. His nails are practically claws now. His ears are bigger and his snout has a wolf like appearance. His quills are longer and a lot sharper, and they travel all the way down to his lower back, getting smaller the lower they went. His tail is also a few inches longer as well.

His eyes are still the same emerald green Tails remembers. It's the emotion in them that's changed. They aren't proud and bubbly and happy anymore. They're cloudy and troubled and tortured. Sonic's eyes have always been a window into his soul, even now. And Tails doesn't like seeing the once brightly burning flame of Sonic's soul being reduced to a smoldering black and red ember.

Sonic had almost died multiple times through the procedure to try and save him. It was almost impossible to stop the bleeding from the gaping hole in his side, not to mention trying to fix the multiple bones shattered from the hit Amy had delivered. Luckily with both Tails and Kylo, they managed to get Sonic stable. They stitched up his side and reset all his bones, though he needed multiple pins. Tails had been surprised to see that his bones already had a few pins here and there, showing that he had broken them before.

Amy had even stepped in to help when things started going south. She provided some blood bags she had taken from the hospital she works at. She had even stopped by the hospital for some machines to make things easier. She couldn't get all of it, but she did get enough. She got an IV, a minny heart monitor, and an oxygen machine along with an oxygen mask.

Tails doesn't know why she all of a sudden wanted to help. She was still acting hostile at the idea of helping Sonic, and yet she helped anyways.

He sighs, shoulders dropping as his eyes roam to Sonic's face once more. He looks...okay. He doesn't look all tense and stressed out like he had before. He doesn't look peaceful either. Somewhere in the middle. He's completely still, save for the slow rise and fall of his chest due to the oxygen machine breathing for him.

"Oh Sonic, what happened to you?" Tails wonders aloud, tears blurring his vision once more. He sniffles and stands up, stretching as he does so. He looks to a clock sitting on his worktable not too far away. "It's already 11:34? Huh, I hadn't realized it was that late."

Tails sighs and walks over to his workbench. He takes off the apron, his gloves, and the goggles atop his head. He turns off the light and heads over to his broken down mattress and thin blankets. With one last look at Sonic, Tails crawls into bed and curls up under the dirty blanket, hopeful to get some sleep.

* * *

When had it become this broken? This distorted? This...evil? Nothing is the same anymore. No one is _safe_ anymore. No human, and definitely not any mobians. It doesn't matter what anyone does, what anyone says, it'll never get better. Everyone knows this, even if they don't want to actually admit it.

Some still have hope. Hope that their beloved hero will return one day and make everything better. Hope that their hero will spread his light through the whole world again. To defeat the thick acid of corruption in the government, to make everything right again.

They're too scared to accept anything other than that. But what is there to live for when the hope is gone from the world? Hope is the one thing that gives things life. It's what keeps the grass green, it's what keeps your heart beating in your chest. Without it, everything withers away. You might as well crawl into a ditch and die if there's no more hope. Because what's left after hope?

Hope is surely one thing this city, no, this whole _world _is sorely missing. It's proof of that as the hedgehog looks out over the ruined and broken city. His arms are crossed loosely over his chest, eyes narrowed. The buildings are worn down and tilted, nothing left of them. He rarely ever ventures into the city anymore. There's nothing there anyways, so why waste his time?

It's just pitiful, watching everyone there slowly rot away with their false hope that the hero would return one day. Their blue blur, reviving everything with just the touch of a hand. As if he was Jesus or something.

A bitter scoff crawls up his throat at the thought. It sure seems that way sometimes. Jesus lasted a while, making everything better and saving people. But, as everyone knows, good things always come to a gruesome end, and Jesus was killed, leaving behind pure chaos in his dead footsteps. And that's exactly what happened with Sonic the Hedgehog.

Shadow's never really been a religious person. He believes that when you die, you're just dead. And that's that. It had come as a surprise when Sonic had turned up missing. No one was ever able to catch him, to officially get rid of him. He would always manage to find some way to escape. But as the years wore on, Shadow had little hope that the famous hero would ever return.

He had helped the others try and find Sonic. In fact, Team Dark had been the head team searching for Sonic. They had been desperate to find him, as much as Shadow hates to admit that. Sonic really is seemingly the soul of the world, the heart of the city. It seemed true with how everything slowly got worse and worse with time. With Sonic there, it would have never gotten this bad.

Shadow grits his teeth as he feels anger bubbling up in his chest. But he's not angry with Sonic. He's angry at himself. If he had just been faster, if he had gotten there sooner, none of this would have happened. Sonic would have been safe. He would've been back to winning each and every battle he takes part in. He would've even managed to fix the corruption of the government.

He can't get the look on Sonic's face out of his mind. The last time he saw the annoying blue pest. The uncharacteristic begging for Shadow to save him, to hurry up before the guards came back. But Shadow had been too slow. It was a trap, and he had walked right into it. He and his team had barely escaped with their lives, while Sonic...well, Shadow will never forget those bloodcurdling screams.

"Shadow," a voice says behind him. Shadow doesn't even turn to face his teammate as she walks up beside him, looking out at the city. "The commander said you're not answering your communicator. Is something wrong?"

Shadow doesn't answer. He looks to Rouge out of the corner of his eye. Her brow is drawn together with worry, a frown pulling at her delicate lips. His eye lingers on the jagged scar running down the right side of her face. It starts a few centimeters above her left eye, then comes down over her eyelid and down he whole left side of her cheek, stopping just under her left collarbone.

"Shadow?" Rouge asks, the frown deepening. "You seem troubled. Are you okay?"

With a huff, Shadow looks back out over the city. Guilt sits like a heavy stone in his chest. He hates feeling these things, they drag him down, distract him from the task at hand. He wasn't used to them before, but five years is a long time to sit with these emotions. You tend to get used to them after a while.

"Is it about...?" Rouge trails off, a tenderness to her velvety voice. Shadow takes a deep breath, and then proceeds to hate himself with how it's impossible to control one's emotions. Rouge can read him so well, and he hates that. She's his closest friend. They've been on the same team for a long time. They sometimes don't even need words for conversations anymore with how close of friends they are.

"Oh hun," Rouge sighs, shaking her head. Shadow pointedly keeps his eyes trained on the city. "You've gotta stop beating yourself up over this. It isn't your fault. How could you have known-"

"Just stop, Rouge." Shadow says, turning his head to look at her. Rouge immediately closes her mouth, not saying anything more on the subject.

Shadow hates how vulnerable he must look right now. It makes him sick to his stomach, but there's nothing he can do about it. He'd just have to pick his head up and keep moving forwards, no matter how heavy that stone of guilt weighs him down.

Sometimes, he wonders why he still keeps moving.

Rouge clears her throat after giving Shadow a moment. "There's been a new mission for us. It's-we should head over to H.Q. soon, so we're not late. Omega is already headed over there."

"Alright." The two turn and make their way slowly down the hill, passing by shriveled up trees and rotting black grass. The silence is almost unbearable with how eerie the forest is. There isn't even a bird chirping anymore.

"Hey, Rouge?" Shadow asks slowly as he comes to a stop. She takes a few steps forwards before turning around to face him, quirking up a brow in silent question. Shadow awkwardly looks away, clearing his throat. "Do you...do you think he's still alive?"

A sad look melts in Rouge's eyes as she moves closer. She places a hand on Shadow's shoulder, getting Shadow to look her in the eye. She gives a soft smile as she says, "I _know _he is. Something like that isn't strong enough to kill big blue. I'm sure he's out there somewhere, Shadow. We just gotta keep lookin'."

Shadow gives a small nod, not trusting himself to say anything. It taking all he has to not let the unwanted sting of tears invade his eyes.

"Now, lets go get that new mission, shall we?" Rouge says, stepping away. They start walking once more, though this time the silence feels a little lighter.

Without stopping, Rouge turns her head to look at Shadow and says, "don't worry about it, hun. I know Sonic doesn't blame you."

That's the fifth time in Shadow's life where he's felt so overwhelmed with emotions that he wants to curl up in a corner and cry them all out.


	5. Chapter 4

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Times are changing in Sonic's world. Eggman is executed for the crimes he's committed and the government takes Sonic into captivity for their own personal gain. Sonic is forced to go through almost six years of absolute hell until he's finally able to escape. But he's not the same, and neither is anyone else, and there's the threat of a war between mobians and humans. How will Sonic cope will all the changes? Eventual Sonilver._

**Authors Note: **_sorry if the characters come across as OOC! I don't really have much experience with writing Team Dark, but hopefully I'll get better in the future. Anyways, I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! Now, onto the chapter. _

**Chapter 4: Experiment S-H-16**

The Head Quarters of G.U.N. consist of a large dark colored building. There are numerous military and government vehicles parked outside with a few groups of humans sprinkled here and there. Barely any of them bat an eye at the two mobians as they enter the area, heading towards the two large double doors leading inside the building.

Right outside those double doors stand Omega. His red eyes immediately lock onto Shadow and Rouge as they come into eyesight.

Shadow glances dismissively around the area. Nothing has changed the last hundred times he's seen this place, and he knows nothing will ever change. Well, at least for a long time anyways. Nothing really changed over the five years that Sonic's been gone, besides the fact that all the mobians that had been working under G.U.N. had all been either imprisoned and executed, or fired and kicked out to live on the streets.

The only reason Shadow and his team are still part of G.U.N. is because Omega refused to work with any other team without Rouge and Shadow. The government also wanted to keep an eye on the two mobians so they don't cause trouble or go around unsupervised, destroying everything. Not that it matters anyways, the city is already destroyed, and the rest of the world is soon to follow.

"Hey Omega," Rouge says as the two come to a stop in front of the tall robot.

"Greetings Rouge, Shadow." Omega notes, his eyes going to Rouge and Shadow as he says their names. "Shadow, my system has noted a difference in mood. Do you still want to proceed with this meeting?"

"I'm fine." Shadow answers curtly, glaring at the robot in front of him. "Let's just get this over with."

"Understood. We will proceed to the meeting." Omega says and turns. He opens the door, allowing the two to enter the building before he walks in behind them.

The walk is quiet as they travel down the many levels and hallways of the building. Their chief commander had retired. He was replaced by a no nonsense type of guy. Sure, their first one was the same, except this new person is, well...harsher. In a sense. He doesn't allow any room for mistakes, and Team Dark has had to pay a few times over the years for missing a deadline or getting injured on a mission.

Shadow hates him even more than he hated the first guy. In fact, the new commander is probably one of the top people on his list of "_People I Hate". _And that's saying something.

They stop in front of a thick wood door. Shadow looks to Rouge as she raises her hand and knocks against the surface. They stand there silently. It only takes five seconds before they get the okay to enter the room.

"Ah, Team Dark," the man at the desk says, looking up from paperwork. He crosses his fingers and sits up straight in his swivel chair. His facial expression is blank, but Shadow can still see the malice coursing through those dark brown eyes. There isn't a second that goes by where Shadow wants none other than to rip this man's eyeballs straight out from his head, snapping the delicate nerve connections as he does so. On the worse days, Shadow would imagine pulling one out at a time, popping it in his hand before he pulls the other out.

"Good to see you're doing well, Commander." Rouge comments as she and Shadow sit on the two cushioned chairs in front of the desk. Omega stands behind them after closing the door.

The room is fairly large, which isn't surprising seeing as this man is the head head commander. The walls are colored a simple off white and the carpet is a dark gray. The desk the commander is sitting at is dark red, polished wood. There's a computer monitor sitting in the corner, along with multiple stacks of paper though the desk somehow looks neat. There is a desk lamp sitting beside the monitor, currently turned off, and there is an open case file right in front of the man.

There are a few fake plants here and there, mostly to take up space and add a splash of color here and there. There are tall bookshelves side by side, the same material as the desk. On the bookshelves are books all different shapes and sizes and colors. They look very expensive and most of them have golden lettering down the spines.

There is a window behind the man, allowing natural light to flood into the room, while it also gives a nice view of the courtyard below. There are multiple filing cabinets on both sides of the window.

All in all, the room has nothing personal to this man. Except for the gold platted name tag on the desk, of course. The gold is nailed into another solid wood block and on the gold itself are the letters carved _"Commander Liam Grayson". _

_ "_Let's get straight to the point." He says, completely ignoring Rouge's comment. Shadow can see the bat frown out of the corner of his eye, but doesn't comment on it. He can't, he doesn't want to end up living out on the streets, homeless while Rouge and Omega have to fend for themselves in this horrid place.

The commander intimidates Rouge. Shadow knows she would never admit it, and she never really shows it, but it's very clear from the way she keeps quiet about things around him. Things she would normally argue or point out with the first commander. Not to mention all the creeps that have started working at G.U.N. There hadn't been too many before, but now they're practically countless. Shadow's lost count of how many people he's found trying to talk Rouge into getting into her pants. Someone even tried to pin the bat a few times, though Rouge would have none of it.

Shadow doesn't trust G.U.N. around Omega, either. He knows that if he's gone, Rouge wouldn't be able to keep the government from doing whatever they want with the robot. Meaning, they would probably rewrite his system and use him as their own personal war machine. Not like they have enough already.

"Last night there was a report of the escape of an Obexian early last night." Liam explains, his eyebrows furrowing together in seriousness. "We aren't aware of its capabilities, but it is dangerous. You're our top team we send out for these kinds of things, so it's your job to contain it and bring it back to Laboratory 56 where they will deal with it. You will report back to me when the mission is over."

Shadow holds in an eye roll. It's expected that his team is probably the only one to be able to deal with these matters, but sometimes he wishes there were others. He wants a break at least once in a while. But, it can't be helped.

"Everything you need will be in this case file," the commander continues, closing the file on his desk. He holds it out and Shadow stands, grabbing the folder. He glances at the black numbers scrawled out on the front of it. It reads "_Experiment S-H-16". _Shadow frowns, raising a brow at the name and then looks back up at the commander.

"I'm guessing we have a due date?"

"Actually, there isn't one for this one." He answers, sounding a bit surprised himself, if not somewhat irritated. "You guys can take all the time you want for this one, though it's better if you complete the mission sooner rather than later. There's no telling what this thing can do to the city."

_'What's left of it.' _Shadow thinks bitterly as he looks back down at the file. It isn't very thick, there's what feels like a single packet, if not a little more.

"We'll get right on it," Rouge says after a few moments of tense silence. Shadow hears her stand from the couch, followed by a light touch on his upper arm. He turns his head and sees Rouge gesture towards the closed door with her head. Omega continues standing where he is, waiting for further instruction.

"Do a good job on this. Under no circumstances are you able to kill the Obexian."

"Understood," Shadow all but sighs as he turns and starts walking towards the door, case file in hand. "Let's head out, Omega. We have an Obexian to catch."

Once they leave the room they swiftly make their way through the building. Rouge and Omega follow closely behind Shadow, keeping up with his quick pacing. Shadow doesn't even glance at the people they pass in his haste to be anywhere but there. He isn't in the mood for any of this.

To Shadow's relief, the break room is empty. So the group makes their way to one of the tables by the window where they can look over the case file and make a plan of action before going through with their newly assigned mission.

Shadow is the first to plop down on the uncomfortable plastic chair. He slaps down the file onto the table, earning a raised brow from Rouge as she sits down across from him. Omega remains standing directly beside the table, unable to sit in the plastic chairs.

The team sits there for a long while in tense silence. Shadow can feel their expectant gazes hot on his face as he pointedly looks out the window, arms crossed defensively over his chest. They're waiting for him, he _is _the leader after all. Not to mention he's the one with the case file. But, for some reason, he can't bring himself to open the file.

He knows there's just information and possibly pictures he really doesn't want to go over at the moment. He's seen the worst of it before, he's seen what it looks like past the image of "worse". He just doesn't have the mental energy to deal with it right now.

"Shadow?" Rouge asks, breaking the hedgehog's train of thought. He glances over to her expectant face. "Oh for the love of-I know you're in one of your moods right now, but you really need to focus."

"I know." Shadow sighs, uncrossing his arms as he looks to the file he had thrown down onto the table. "I...I apologize."

"Now, let's see what this Obexian is like." Rouge says, her tone light. Shadow can clearly see the discomfort in her eyes, though. He knows she doesn't like these types of missions. She's never really been okay with killing anything, even if it is a bloodthirsty creature aiming to kill her.

Shadow opens the file and the first thing he sees is a report sitting on top of a small stack of papers. The report is neatly printed out it a font just small enough to fit ti all onto one paper, but big enough to still read. The paper feels fine and sturdy under Shadow's gloves.

Sighing, Shadow picks up the report and begins to read. _"'Test Subject S-H-16 is showing no sign of being affected by Test_Serum_12. There is a final test scheduled on 12 May 2016. Test_Serum_23 is currently under development and will be tested later on in the future. Test Subject S-H-16 will be the first experiment.'"_

"This was...three years ago." Rouge says after Shadow pauses. He looks up at her to see a visible shiver run through her body. "Just listening to this..."

"Yeah." Shadow says lowly, glaring back down at the paper. He knows what it feels like to be an experiment, an object for people to just use instead of an actual living being with thoughts and emotions. It's part of the reason why he blames himself so much for not being able to save Sonic.

Clearing his throat to try and clear his mind, Shadow continues reading. _"'24 August 2016: Experiment_1_Genetic_Data has come to a close. The offspring of Experiment S-H-16 and Experiment C-H-26 are horribly deformed. Half the litter of 4 were dead when delivered. The other two weren't recognizable.'"_

"Oh god," Rouge breathes out, covering her mouth with a hand, eyes haunting. Even Shadow has started to feel sick to his stomach the further he reads. "That's just-that's-it's worse than being inhumane."

"Observation: the parents genetic data was too corrupt to parent offspring." Omega speaks up, the first time in a little while. "From the text it makes it seem that there will be more experiments for offspring. Maybe there are some that managed to survive, in which we could use as blackmail to capture our target."

"Jesus Omega," Rouge mumbles, shaking her head as she hugs herself. "I'm just...going to pretend to have not heard that."

"We appreciate the offer, but I don't think that this...that our target will have any parental connection to any offspring that might have possibly lived." Shadow comments as he sets aside the first paper. The pictures below proves his point.

There are four pictures in total. Shadow's guess is that the pictures are of each of the offspring. The first picture shows a creature so twisted and mutilated it painfully stabs at Shadow's stomach with nausea. The creature has a face sticking out from the side of the head. The eyes are popped out and rotting, half smashed into the still wet fur of the cheeks. The spine looks to be completely twisted, creating a mangled image where the stubby back legs are facing up towards the ceiling while the two longer front legs are bent under the body at a disgusting angle. There are patches of fur missing, showing patchy rotting skin beneath. What throws Shadow off is the deep bite mark in the twisted throat, followed by harsh gashes ripping open the belly to spill the intestines out onto the examination table of which the creature currently lays on.

The second picture shows another offspring with a deep gouge through the middle of the head. The top head is bent backwards, showing the inside of the dented and deformed skull. There isn't even a brain, it's just hollow and bloody. There are sharp black quills all over the body, and instead of protruding from the body the quills seem to be stabbing the body itself. One of the front legs is twisted completely around with the elbow bone poking out through rotting skin. One of the eyes in the eye socket is filled with disgusting yellow goop, most likely infection. There is also goop crusted around the squashed nostrils. There are more gashes on the body as well as a deep bite mark on the throat.

"Oh fuck this." Rouge curses, her face going pale when she spots the images. Shadow looks up when he hears Rouge stand. The bat stands with so much force it almost sends the chair falling to the floor behind her, but she can't be bothered to wait and see if it steadies itself or not. She runs over to a black trashcan by the snack counter. She bends over and harsh retching can be heard as she throws up.

Shadow watches, swallowing thickly. His lips are twisted downwards in a grimace as he looks back to the pictures, forcing him to examine the rest. There might be clues. For what the clues might be, he has no idea.

The third image is what almost does it for Shadow. The whole inside of the baby is on the outside. Intestines spill out over the table on which it's laying on. The ribs arch high over the concave chest, exposing the dark red heart and one small, light pink lung. Shadow can even see a kidney thrown in there, along with the stomach and some other organs he can't make out. The head is squished, almost like someone smashed it repeatedly with a rock. The eyes are yellow and bulging while there is blood crusted around the mouth. One of its legs is morphed into its side, ripping at the seams. There are ripped intestines and a few other puncture wounds here and there, but the deformities are enough all on their own. The parents probably had little interference with this one.

The final image gives Shadow somewhat of a breather, though it isn't pretty to look at either. There is a second mouth inside one of the ears while there is one gigantic rotting eye in the middle of the head. The bottom half of the body is missing, but from the angle of which the photo was taken, Shadow is saved from seeing the inside of the poor creature. Around the bottom of the top half are sharp gashes from claws, and there is yet another bite wound on its neck.

In all these pictures Shadow can't make out the species these babies are supposed to be. They're too morphed and deformed to even make out the general shape of them, let alone what animal they represent.

A hot flash of rage shoots through Shadow's body. He has to quickly flip the pictures over so he doesn't lose his cool. He can't get over the fact that these are newly born _infants_. They had barely been in the world for a second before they had to deal with the horrifying experiments conducted on them. Through the parents, the experiments were transferred to the unborn fetuses of the mother, as Omega had theorized.

"It's just...it's horrible," Rouge suddenly says as she returns to the table. Shadow watches as she sits down at the table across from him, tears misting her eyes as she looks out the window. She hugs herself, wings folded close to her body as she bites her bottom lip. "They're just...they were just babies. They didn't..."

Shadow shifts uncomfortably, his blast of rage dying down to a dull roar. He doesn't know how to make people feel better. He doesn't even know how to deal with his own emotions half the time, how is he supposed to deal with other people's emotions as well?

"Do-do you need a minute?" Shadow asks awkwardly, double checking the images to make sure they're flipped upside down. He doesn't want Rouge to throw up again. "We can take a break for today and come back-"

"No. No, it's-I'm fine." Rouge quickly says, rubbing at her eyes with the heel of her hand. "What-what else is in there?"

Shadow's eyes linger on Rouge's face for a second longer before he sighs. He looks back down at the file and shuffles through the papers, his eyes skimming the words. "The rest of it is just...reports on the serums and tests that don't really show any importance."

"Where there any...any clues in the pictures?" Rouge asks, looking sick at the mention of the horrors held on the innocent slips of paper.

"Nothing that I saw."

"Comment: I saw no hidden clues within the pictures." Omega adds.

"Well, that's just great." Rouge sighs, crossing her arms as she sits back in her chair. "Not only are we running on old data, we don't even know where to find this thing. We don't even know its abilities for crying out loud!"

Shadow stands up, crossing his arms. Rouge and Omega look to him as he neatly collects all the papers in the file. "We should start with where this thing last was, which is in the forest just outside the city. Apparently there's a laboratory out there, and my guess is that the Obexian has come from there."


	6. Chapter 5

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Times are changing in Sonic's world. Eggman is executed for the crimes he's committed and the government takes Sonic into captivity for their own personal gain. Sonic is forced to go through almost six years of absolute hell until he's finally able to escape. But he's not the same, and neither is anyone else, and there's the threat of a war between mobians and humans. How will Sonic cope will all the changes? Eventual Sonilver._

**Chapter 5: Missing Clues**

His footsteps are light as he calmly strolls down one of the many bland, white hallways. His hands are held loosely behind his back while a navy blue lanyard gently swings side to side on his neck with each step taken. The lanyard holds his key card, allowing him to get anywhere he wants to in the building. A perk of being one of the top people in charge.

His voice is a gentle lullaby as he hums to himself, a faint smile stretching his cracked lips. a giddy feeling bubbles up in his chest as he stops in front of a very familiar door. Sure, all the doors in this place look the same, but he mostly uses this door to get to the experiments he's currently working on. Rarely does he ever enter any of the other doors containing failed experiments.

He removes one of his hands from his back and grabs the key card between his index finger and thumb. He leans forward, pressing the key card against the lock nailed to the wall on the right of the door.

With the low hum of a beep, the door unlocks with a soft click. The man steps back and releases the key card and turns the doorknob with the same hand. He pushes the door open and steps inside, pulling his hand behind his back once more as he looks down the long rows of shelves lined with all different shapes and sizes of cages.

The door automatically closes behind him as he starts walking down the closest aisle of cages. A satisfaction like none other fills his stomach as the creatures in the cages cower away fearfully, whimpering.

He continues humming to himself, enjoying the noises all around him. The blend of low growls, sharp hisses, and high whimpers blend together nicely with his humming, creating a sweet tune one could hum their child to sleep with. But the tapping of his coal-black dress shoes against blood-stained white tiles are the vocals of the song. They stand out nicely against the rest of the noise, creating a sweet melody that you just can't stop listening to.

He comes to a stop in front of a glass cage, his humming dying down. He turns on his heels to face the cage head-on, his brown eyes gliding downwards in his yellow-stained cornea to look at the creature below. The smile on his lips grows wider, revealing his corn yellow teeth and rotting gums.

The creature is crouched low to the floor of the cage. A shadow is cast from the top of the cage which blocks out the light, preventing the scientist from making out any detail on the fur of the creature. But he's seen this experiment plenty times before to know every single detail about her without even having to lift a pinky of effort.

Her sharp orange eyes watch the man warily, her long tail hovering frozen in the air behind her. The fluffy, circular ears atop her head are angled forwards, listening to every sound he makes. Razor-sharp white claws press uselessly against the already scratched up metal floor.

"Ah, nice to see you're still alive and kicking." The man chuckles, his words slimy with mucus lodged in the back of his greasy throat. He leans even closer until his face is just inches within the metal bars containing the creature before him. But he knows she will do nothing, for she's already been broken, forced to obey every command thrown at her. "Just wait, my pretty little project. Your time to shine is coming."

* * *

The laboratory isn't very hard to find. It's at the heard of the forest, though isn't being hidden all too well. Disappointingly enough, there's no one there to answer the questions of Team Dark. In fact, the place is seemingly abandoned, completely void of any sign of any lifeforms.

In fact, there really isn't any sign anyone had _been _there in the first place. The building is completely empty. There isn't any equipment in the many rooms inhabiting the building. All the computer hard-drives had been either deleted or removed and Omega is unable to recover any of the files.

The whole place reeks strongly of bleach and harsh cleaning products. Shadow guesses that whoever had been here had made sure to thoroughly clean the whole place. As for why they would do that is a complete blank for Shadow.

They all regroup back outside the laboratory after searching inside. Shadow can't express how grateful he is to finally breathe in the fresh air again. Well, as fresh as it'll get with the ruins of the city not too far away. The smell of rusting metal and pure rot is carried over the wind into the forest, leaving faint traces of the scent here and there.

"That gave us nothing." The frustration is clear in Rouge's voice as she kicks at a small pebble on the ground. "Now what?"

"We might as well head back into the city," Shadow says. He crosses his arms and looks up at the gray sky in thought. It's currently late morning. While it didn't take them too long to actually find the laboratory, it did take them a little while to fully investigate the place. It's a lot bigger on the inside than how it looks on the outside.

"Observation: there is a trail leading into the forest." Omega suddenly says. Shadow's ears perk up and he looks to Omega. The robot points a sharp finger to a multitude of harsh footsteps in dried mud not too far away. The closer the team gets, the better Shadow can see the detail of the trail.

The footsteps are too muddled together for Shadow to appropriately tell who they belong to. He can make out the paw print of a dog here and there, along with the shoe print, but other than that it's all just a messy imprint in the ground. The dirt is cracked, showing that it had been mud previously. Shadow guesses the mud is from the rainfall that had happened early last night.

"Good job hun," Rouge compliments, smiling at the robot.

"The trail looks to be a little over fifteen hours old," Shadow observes, kneeling down on the ground. "If this is the start of the escaped Obexian last night, it could be anywhere by now."

"We should follow the trail just in case," Rouge says as Shadow stands back up. "We might find some more clues, maybe a sign as to what happened to our target."

"Fair point. Let's hope we find something good, and if not, we'll search the city next."

"Mission Update: follow the trail into the forest in search of any sign of the mission's target," Omega says professionally.

"No need to get all formal about it hun," Rouge jokes.

Shadow starts walking forwards while Rouge and Omega automatically fall into step behind the onyx and red-streaked hedgehog. "Let's go."

* * *

Tails wakes up in the early afternoon. It's the most he's slept in a long while, and yet he still somehow feels exhausted. The uncomfortable dryness in his eyes almost convinces him to lay down and go back to sleep, and he would have if not for a sudden realization shooting through his brain like a bullet.

_'The project!' _He thinks to himself, leaping out of bed. He quickly slips on his shoes and sloppily ties his apron on around his waist.

He rushes over to the worktable where the project has been sitting for the past few hours, untouched. Tails immediately gets to work, his two tails swishing behind him nervously as he tries to keep his hands steady so as not to mess anything up. He's desperate to finish before 3 'o clock rolls around.

But these things take time, sadly. He can't rush in fear that he'll somehow ruin something. So instead he settles for cursing at the fact that he had forgotten to set an alarm last night. He had been too exhausted, and to be honest, the thought of the project had completely slipped his mind altogether with the events that had taken place.

Tails pauses and turns around to see the reason that caused the events to happen last night.

Sonic lays unmoving on the table, his chest slowly rising and falling as the oxygen machine breathes for him. A gentle, quiet beeping is the only noise in the whole building; a dull replica making the heartbeat sound more robotic than alive. Growing up he's come to learn to get used to the beeping of machinery, seeing as Sonic sometimes got injured during his many missions to stop Eggman from destroying the world. That doesn't mean he loves the sound, however.

He tries to force back the tears suddenly stinging his eyes. He quickly turns back to the project at hand, trying to busy himself in order to escape the thoughts whirling around in his mind. Though, no matter how hard the little fox kit tries, he still can't get away from the thoughts in his own mind.

The main thought is that he can't blame Sonic for any of this, even if he probably should. He doesn't even feel an inch of anger towards his adoptive older brother. He knows Sonic too well, he knows the hedgehog would never abandon anyone, let alone his friends. And Sonic would _never _abandon Tails, even after a rare argument shared between the two.

There's suddenly the dull chirp of a bell, notifying Tails of someone entering his workshop. He pauses in his work, one of his large ears twitching in the direction of the open doorway as he listens to the footsteps of whoever had just entered.

The heavy footsteps and quiet, angry muttering of a familiar voice sends freezing shivers raining down Tails' spine. He stands there, unable to move with a screwdriver still held in one hand. His eyes slowly drift back down to the small item on the table and he swallows thickly with nervousness.

"Hey, fox brat!" The voice shouts. "You better have that commission done!"

Tails' hand shakes as he slowly lowers the screwdriver onto the worktable beside the object. Unconnected wires stick out from a few of the sides of the square, metallic box. Some of the plating isn't even put on, showing of the unprotected hard drive inside. It shines weakly in the dull light of the backroom, almost as if taunting Tails about the fact that the fox hadn't been able to finish it on time.

"Hurry it up, I don't got all day!"

The kit slowly takes in a shuddering breath, trying to control the nervous twisting of his two namesakes behind him as he looks to the open doorway once more. But despite how hard he tries, he can't make his feet obey to the panicking orders his brain shoots through his body. And instead of walking out to meet the customer, his sky blue eyes suddenly travel over to where Sonic is still laying.

Tails wishes so badly that the hedgehog would magically wake up and fix all this. To chase off the bad guys and reclaim the city like he always does. But all Tails gets instead is a mouthful of hopelessness sprinkled with disappointment when the lost hero doesn't even twitch a finger.

"You hear me? Get your ass out here before I make you!" The man shouts once more, pulling Tails away from his wishful thinking.

With a slow, deep inhale and exhale, Tails finally slowly makes his way from the backroom out to the main area of the shop. It comes as no surprise when he sees Henry Harris standing on the other side of the checkout counter, impatiently drumming his meaty hands against the dirty surface.

Henry looks less than thrilled with Tails steps into his line of sight. The burly man is leaning over on the counter, eyebrows pulled down over his narrowed eyes as he watches the fox kit slowly shuffle over to stand behind the counter. The sour frown on his face only darkens when his eyes travel down to Tails' empty hands.

"Where is it?" Henry asks slowly, his tone of voice sending little pins of dread scratching down his spinal column.

"U-um..." Tails' voice cracks and he desperately tries to calm the fear coursing through his veins. "Something...came up last night so I haven't...had time to finish."

"You're serious?" Henry asks with a breathless chuckle, eyes wide with surprise. His mouth hangs open with a flabbergasted smile stretched on his cracked lips. He pushes himself off the counter and says, "sure you've been late for deadlines before, but I never actually thought you wouldn't get it done."

"Look, it's almost done. I just need an hour-"

"What am I supposed to do when I turn up empty-handed? Huh!?" Henry suddenly explodes, slamming his large hands down onto the counter.

Tails flinches away, his ears flattening against his head while his two tails tuck between his legs in fear. "I-I'm sorry! Please, I promise I-I'll-"

"You've had your chances, fox cunt!" Henry turns and storms towards the only door leading in and out of the building. "I warned you about what would happen if you failed. I'll be back."

Henry all but walks out the door, slamming it behind him despite the fact the door closes on its own. The departure leaves Tails feeling sick. He can't do anything. He just lost his main route of income, not to mention Henry is coming back to most likely trash the place as revenge. Like he said he would do.

Tails feels completely useless. He _is _useless. Once again he finds himself unable to do anything but whine like a little baby, hoping for Sonic to swoop in and save the day at the last second.

The thought brings tears to Tails' eyes once more as he slowly makes his way to the back room. He pulls over a chair from his worktable and sits down beside the makeshift operating table Sonic is currently laying on. Still completely motionless and oblivious to the world around him.

"This is all just a...a shitstorm," Tails curses to himself, trying to angrily wipe the tears away from his fluffy cheeks. He doesn't normally curse, but right now he feels that he kinda has a free card on this one with all the stress he's currently under. Though, to be honest, cursing is probably the least of Tails' worries right now.

"It's hopeless. I don't even know if you'll survive, Sonic. I'm gonna go bankrupt and on top of all that, Henry and his stupid goons are gonna destroy the place."

Tails holds his head in his hands, trying to control his shaking and the tears that continue to stubbornly roll down his face. "I-I just...I just want a _break. _I want you _back_, Sonic. Then...then you could fix all this."

The rest of the day is spent with Tails crying in the backroom, begging Sonic to wake up.

* * *

"Shadow, I found something!" Rouge calls, catching the hedgehog's attention. He stands up from where he's kneeling down on the ground, trying to inspect a faint left imprinted it the mud.

They had lost the trail when they had gotten to a creek. Everything had been washed away from here on out, so Team Dark had split up to try and find more clues as to what had happened last night. To be honest, this whole ordeal is starting to give the Ultimate Lifeform a headache.

Shadow swiftly skates over to Rouge's side. She's standing just outside a little overhang of flat rocks, a few vines hanging down over the sides. Water still drops from the small green leaves, another telltale sign of the rainfall that had happened last night. Luckily, the rainfall had happened before the escape from last night, which gave the group a better trail to follow.

Rouge is holding a bullet with a white handkerchief, splotches of red staining the delicate fabric. Shadow has a tugging in his head that tells him the red is blood. What else could it be, anyway? Ketchup?

Shaking his head to try and force away the sarcastic thought, he directs his attention to Rouge. "A bullet? Where was it?"

"In there." Rouge gestures with her head inside the little cave-like area hollowed out in the side of the steep hill. "There's a lot of blood in there, too. Sadly it's all dried up and looks to be a few hours old."

Shadow carefully inspects the bullet, his sharp eyes trying to pick up any trace of anything he might possibly find. What he's looking for, he doesn't know. It is a simple bullet, after all, so it comes as no surprise when all he finds is the blood coating the small piece of metal.

"We can have Omega try and analyze the blood from the bullet when we get to the city," Rouge suggests, taking a small ziplock baggie from a pocket on her camo cargo pants. She carefully slips the bullet into the bag with the handkerchief and securely zips it closed. She hands it over to Shadow who slips it into his quills for safekeeping.

"You know, I still wonder how you hedgehogs can store stuff in your quills like that," Rouge comments playfully, nudging Shadow's side. "You're like a living breathing storage unit."

Shadow shoots a dry glare at Rouge, clearly telling her he isn't in the mood for joking around at the moment. All Rouge does is shake her head, slipping a hand on her hip with a slight shake of her head.

"We should meet up with Omega." Shadow says after a moment of somewhat tense silence.

"Right." Rouge nods, sighing. He can see the disappointment clearly swimming around in those teal eyes of hers, and there's a small guilty poke at his heart. He knows all she's trying to do is cheer him up a bit, lighten the mood. But sadly, Shadow isn't one for joking around or small talk. Or anything, for that matter. So Rouge's attempts at brightening the red-streaked hedgehog fall flat on its face each time Shadow shoots them down.

"When we find Omega we should head to the city," Shadow says as the two start to climb up the steep walls of the creek bed. "I don't think we'll find anything else in the forest."


	7. Chapter 6

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Times are changing in Sonic's world. Eggman is executed for the crimes he's committed and the government takes Sonic into captivity for their own personal gain. Sonic is forced to go through almost six years of absolute hell until he's finally able to escape. But he's not the same, and neither is anyone else, and there's the threat of a war between mobians and humans. How will Sonic cope will all the changes? Eventual Sonilver._

**Chapter 6: Battle in the City**

The sky is as bleak as ever as golden eyes look up to the dark gray clouds above. They look almost as if to be sick, completely different from the joyful fluffy puffs of white they used to be. Like a proud hero fallen from grace way too many times to come back.

Sure, he's seen the same clouds from his timeline, but never in this one. He's been here a while, yes, but that doesn't mean the dirty looking clouds don't make him extremely uncomfortable. It's like a streak of black on a pristine white wall, clearly not supposed to be there and yet impossible to get rid of.

Silver the Hedgehog stands outside one of the many bases he's managed to help build over the past two, almost three years. It is nicely hidden just outside a small city, sitting on a tall cliff overlooking the ocean. The gray, foamy waves crash against the cliffside below, creating a thunder all of their own. The wind pulls at his fluffy fur as he stands a few feet away from the edge of the jagged edge.

He's shivering uncontrollably due to the cold, but he doesn't mind all too much. Having spent his whole life in a burning hellscape with lava as the cake, fire as the icing, and monsters made from fire and lava as the sprinkles, it's safe to say that experiencing the opposite element is a nice change. But since he's grown up in that environment, Silver's body isn't very accustomed to dealing with the freezing cold weather he comes across now and again in this world.

He isn't complaining. It's nice to feel like you're not on the verge of being burned alive every 24/7. In all actuality, if Silver was to be honest, the winter season is probably his number one favorite season with spring being a close second. He doesn't know what it is, but winter seems to bring a simple peace all on its own. A wordless truce for those fighting against one another to take it easy during these next couple months.

Unless you work in retail. Then the winter season is more like a living hell of angry customers and endless overtime.

"Commander Silver!" A faint voice suddenly calls, pulling said hedgehog from his musings.

Silver turns around, arms lowering from being crossed over his fluffy chest as he watches the dark form of someone slowly growing more and more visible as they run towards him. As the person grows closer, Silver can identify them as a young raccoon, not yet fully grown. If Silver were to guess, the raccoon is probably a fresh teen, or maybe even still a child. An older child, but a child nonetheless.

A sudden tug at the metallic colored hedgehog's heartstrings chases away the light mood he had felt just moments before. Now he's left with a gross disturbance weighing heavy in his chest.

Sure, children aren't allowed to take part in the many battles that start, but they're still standing on the sidelines helping in any way they can. Collecting supplies, helping with treating the injured and sick, even going out to save survivors willing to join the Freedom Fighters. If the adults deem it safe enough to do so, that is. And even though they all choose to help out due to their own free will, it still leaves Silver with an uneasy feeling. To say the least.

The raccoon comes to a skidding halt in front of Silver, breathing heavily as he gives a shaky salute. He then doubles over, hands on his knees as he desperately fights to catch his breath. It's cold enough that Silver can see the heaving breaths in light, opaque layers whenever the young raccoon exhales.

"Commander...Silver," he says between gasps. That's all he manages to say before he's sent into a coughing fit. Silver waits patiently for the kid to catch his breath enough to say what he came here to say. And with an expert eye, Silver takes in the appearance of the little raccoon.

His fluffy, masked face is sleek with sweat, more than likely from the mad dash to find Silver. His striped tail is hanging limply behind him, puffed up to look twice its size. The kid is wearing the typical outfit of a messenger, although it's wrinkled and more on the dirty side.

The dark olive green buttondown shirt fits nicely on the little raccoon. The sleeves are rolled up just past his elbows and the shirt is wrinkled and sweatstained. The black boots are crusted with dried mud and ash from running through something that Silver guessed had recently burned down.

There is a messenger bag hanging at the raccoon's hip, colored a light cream to compliment the dark green of the shirt. There is the messenger symbol of a black envelope stitched onto the front right in the middle of the bag. There is also the messenger patch stitched to the right side of the chest of his shirt. There is a little dagger strapped to the outside of his right thigh, an easy reach if ever need be.

"Commander Silver," the raccoon tries again, sounding a lot better than the previous minute. Silver locks eyes with the young anthropomorphic raccoon as he stands straight once more, giving a stronger salute this time. "I was sent by Commander Sally Acorn to request your immediate backup. A battle has started in downtown Ricksburg."

Silver presses his lips into a thin line, a troubled look clouding his golden eyes. A battle? But Sally had said the enemy had fallen back and there is a low chance of any battle breaking out after the last one happened only days ago. Is the enemy planning something? And if so, what? Maybe trying to force out the Freedom Fighters fromRicksburg, but Silver has a feeling they want more than just that.

"Thank you, er...what's your name?" Silver asks awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

"The name's Scrap!" The little raccoon says brightly, a proud smile growing on his young face. "A top messenger of the Freedom Fighters, sir."

"Is that so?" Silver chuckles, smiling down at the kid. "Well, so far to me it seems you're doing a really good job."

"I-I am?" Scrap asks, rounded ears perking forward. "I-I mean, of course I am, sir! I never slack, not once!"

"Good to hear we have such determined Freedom Fighters," Silver ruffles the tuft of fur atop the head of the raccoon. "Thank you for giving the message. I'll head over to the battlefield right now. Keep up the good work, kiddo!"

"Yes, sir!"

And with that, Silver lifts himself with his telekinetic abilities. He shoots one last cheeky grin at the kid before shooting off in the sky, flying at full speed towards the city. Sure, he's not as fast as Shadow or Sonic, but he still isn't one to take lightly for speed. Sometimes, when he's desperate to get somewhere fast, he's been able to create a sonic boom. But, of course, that's only ever happened once or twice in his life.

Silver gets to the battlefield in just under two minutes. He lands atop one of the buildings just outside the fight, inspecting the current situation going on below.

There is a large number of warriors on both sides of the spectrum. The Freedom Fighters seem to be struggling, though, as the enemy uses their better weapons and equipment to mow down the opposite side. Silver even spots a tank here or there, slowly moving forwards while the people below dodge out of the way so as not to be crushed.

Not all hope is lost, though, seeing as the Freedom Fighters have some of their strongest fighters on the battlefield. Silver can see the long tail of his friend, Tangle the lemur as she fights through the forces with a determined excitement gracing her face. She hasn't noticed Silver yet, but her more observant partner, Whisper the Wolf, had. She shoots a shy smile at Silver from the roof of a building a little ways away.

Silver shoots his own smile at her before she gets back to the task at hand, supporting anyone who needs it.

Sally is also down one the ground in the middle of it all, using her gun as she shouts orders to the troops around her. She moves with practiced expertise, dodging every attack thrown at her.

After the quick analysis of the battle going on below, Silver decides the best way for him to help is to take care of the tanks. So, he raises himself into the air once more with his powers and flies over the battle below. He can't help but feel a happiness bubble up in his chest as multiple loud cheers are heard below when he's finally spotted by the Freedom Fighters.

Silver hovers above the first tank. His brow is drawn down in a seriousness not unseen before. He presses his lips together and holds his hands out, palms facing the destructive vehicle. He can feel the power bubbling in the pit of his stomach, spreading warmth up through his arms where it collects at the palms of his hands, causing the glowing rings in his hands to shine even brighter with the increased power.

A glowing turquoize immediately surrounds the tank below. Silver grits his teeth, straining at the weight from the vehicle as he raises it into the air, preventing it from shooting any weapons into the fighting warriors below. He can hear the screams of the unsuspecting soldiers inside as they're lifted off the ground, but Silver could care less at the moment.

With the simple movement of his hands off to the side and an extra rush of power, he sends the tank flying through the air. It crashes through the middle of a building not too far away, causing it to collapse in on itself. There is no one around the building, so Silver doesn't have to worry about pulling anyone out of the way so as not to get injured from the falling debris.

Slowly, Silver makes his way from one tank to the next, doing the exact thing to each of them. Of course, his powers have gotten stronger over the years, but that doesn't mean he's completely mastered them yet. Which makes this a slower process than what he would have liked.

He's starting to somewhat feel the mental strain from living and throwing the tanks which feel like they weigh more than a ton. It takes all his concentration, so he doesn't notice someone aiming a gun at the back of his head from within the battlefield.

"Silver behind you!" A voice shouts, followed by a bang that is almost drowned out from all the other noise going on.

The surprise catches Silver off guard, causing him to lose concentration. He drops the current tank he's holding, causing it to fall to the ground with a heavy _bam_. Luckily, the people that had been surrounding the tank had dispersed the second Silver had picked it up, so no one got hurt.

Silver quickly whirls around, his rich eyes easily spotting Sally standing tall atop an overturned semi-truck. She is holding her still smoking pistol in one hand, the other on her hip as she stares at the human she had just shot down with an unreadable expression swimming in her diamond blue eyes.

Silver himself avoids looking at the soldier as he makes his way over to Sally. He isn't one for violence, though he also knows that in a war, it's either kill or be killed. That doesn't help his guilty conscience from attacking him at night when he's trying to sleep.

"Thanks," Silver says as he lands swiftly beside the squirrel.

"No problem. Wouldn't want my second in command shot down. That wouldn't be very good." Sally jokes, her hand falling from her hip as she blows away the smoke from the tip of her pistol. "I could see you were caught up with something."

"Heh, yeah." Silver chuckles sheepishly, rubbing his upper arm. He clears his throat, a seriousness hardening in his eyes. "How's everything doing on our end?"

"Honestly? We're not doing too good." Sally answers with a heavy sigh, looking out at the fighting once more. "Our troops haven't recovered from the last battle a few days ago, meaning we're short of people. Not to mention we're short on supplies."

Silver frowns, his eyes drifting over the battlefield just like Sally's. And, true to her word, the Freedom Fighters aren't doing too good. They're slowly but surely being pushed back towards the forest, towards their base.

Multiple Freedom Fighters are hiding on the sidelines, suffering from their wounds. He doesn't even want to think about how many bodies are littering the ground at this point. He doesn't know how long the battle has been going on, but the Freedom Fighters are looking exhausted.

"We're mostly on the defense," Sally says, pulling Silver from his gruesome thoughts. "We're just...trying our best not to retreat."

Silver can hear the unsaid words in her voice. The way she flexes her fingers on her gun, her ears twitching and eyes flickering back and forth across the battle. They can't retreat, because if they do, it'll mean their base will be found. Which would lead to an all-out slaughter.

"I'll keep working on getting rid of the tanks," Silver says after a moment. A determined spark burns in his eyes like wildfire, his back straightening as more adrenaline courses through his veins. "Hopefully that'll give us a better chance."

"I'll cover you to make sure no one tries sneaking up on you again."

"Right."

Silver lifts himself into the air once more, a familiar glow surrounding his entire body. He quickly flies over to the tank he had dropped only a few short minutes ago. It hasn't moved, seeing as the wheels had been crushed when it had hit the ground. It is now just shooting bullets into the crowd, not caring who it hits.

Like before, Silver swiftly raises the tank, collects the power into his palms, and sends the tank flying off over a cluster of tall buildings.

Everything is going smoothly. It takes a little while, but Silver is effectively finishing off the last of the tanks. He has heard the occasional gunfire from Sally as she guards his turned back.

It sends a rush of excitement at the fact that he has allies he can rely on. People he can trust to protect him while he protects them. A loyalty tying him like a long rope to all of his allies. Friends, almost family in some cases. And Silver vows that he will do the best he can to protect them all. He refuses to leave anyone behind and trusts that the others will make sure that he won't fall behind.

_'It's what Blaze would do, and it's what I intend to do now.' _

With the last of the tanks gone, Silver shoots a quick thumbs up to Sally before falling back to stand atop the building where Whisper is still currently kneeling. The sniper in her grasp smoking from a shot only seconds before.

"Everything going okay on your part?" Silver asks, looking to the wolf beside him.

"Yes, thank you." She, as her name suggests, whispers to her metallic colored commander. "What about you?"

"I just finished up with the last of the tanks. Hopefully, it'll help push back-"

An explosion sends the ground shaking uncontrollably, causing multiple people on both fighting sides to fall, unable to keep their balance. A sharp shockwave cuts across the battlefield like a broadsword, pushing back the rest that had remained standing nearby.

It isn't big, but it's big enough to cause a fair amount of damage.

Thick black smoke wafts up towards the sky, mingling with the clouds and making them even darker than before. There is a faint yellow-orange glow at the base of the smoke, though the flames that are most likely there are covered by the thickness of the smoke.

The battlefield is pure chaos now. Those that haven't retreated are fighting with much more vigor than before, shouting harsh battle cries as they charge at one another. Those who have guns stand back, hiding behind large chunks of debris as they shoot into the fighting, trying to hit their targets as best they can. Everyone is moving a lot more desperately, looking like a crowd stampeding into the local Wal-Mart on Black Friday.

Silver and Whisper manage to keep their feet planted firmly atop the roof of the building, though the same can't be said for the building itself.

Dread tugs painfully at the bottom of Silver's stomach as he feels the trembling rock through the unstable building. It pulls shrieks of metal as they bend and snap in half. A loud crumbling sound as the concrete at the base of the building begins to give away, causing the building to sharply lurch forwards.

It starts slow as it begins falling, and quickly starts falling faster and faster as gravity curls her cold fingers around it like a toy, yanking it down.

"Brace yourself!" Silver shouts to Whisper as the building bends forwards. His boots scrabble uselessly against the smooth concrete of the roof as he tries to stay on the building. Beside him Whisper does the same, her normally closed eyes wide with scared desperation to not fall and be crushed by the building.

Seeing as it's a losing battle trying to run up the now almost vertical roof, Silver quickly jumps away and catches himself mid-jump, floating a few feet above the roof. His heart hammers quickly against his chest, almost as if trying to bash a nail into his ribcage. He doesn't have time to take a breather, however, as he watches Whisper's boot slip.

With a startled yelp, the wolf starts sliding down the roof in a blur of light orange and brown. Her clawed fingers scratch desperately at the concrete and her tail flails about behind her as she struggles for a good foothold to stop her fall.

From the battle below, a single cry pierces through the thick smoke-filled air. "WHISPER!"

* * *

**Authors Note:**_ Hi everyone! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I just wanted to really quick say that Ricksburg is a city I just randomly made for this. There will most likely be a lot of made up cities, towns, etc. in this, just so you know. I want it to take place in the Sonic world, with Green Hill Zone and whatnot, but I also want there to be cities as well without it being in any real place, like England or America. Idk if there is actually a Ricksburg out there. _

_And with that being said, have a good day/night! Don't forget to review, favorite, follow! _


	8. Chapter 7

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue **_for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Times are changing in Sonic's world. Eggman is executed for the crimes he's committed and the government takes Sonic into captivity for their own personal gain. Sonic is forced to go through almost six years of absolute hell until he's finally able to escape. But he's not the same, and neither is anyone else, and there's the threat of a war between mobians and humans. How will Sonic cope will all the changes? Eventual Sonilver._

**Chapter 7: Losing Battle**

Silver doesn't think. Pure adrenaline and reflexes control his body as a hand shoots up, his palm glowing brighter as he focuses his energy. A gentle glow encircles Whisper's body mid-fall, catching her a few feet above the ground.

The building above her gives a harsh groan as the last of its support snaps. Silver quickly yanks Whisper towards him, flinching at the quiet yelp she gives in the process.

They hover in the air for a few moments, staring wide-eyed at where Whisper had been moments before. She would have surely been crushed from the building if she hadn't died from the fall.

A huge light brown dust cloud rises around the crumbled sides of the building, a sharp contrast to the coal-black plume of smoke still rising into the air from the explosion that had gone off only a minute before.

Silver is half wondering whether Whisper can hear the rapid beating of his heart as he tries to calm the adrenaline shooting like bullets through his body. He sighs with relief when he realizes that yes, both he and Whisper are floating safely above the now-destroyed building, looking more like debris than anything.

Warily, Silver looks around for another building close by where he can land. Luckily enough, there isn't one too far away, and he aims for it. He carefully flies both himself and Whisper over to the building. They lower onto the flat roof, their feet gracefully touching down on the roof with a heavy exhale of relief.

"That was a close one," Silver chuckles airly, doubling over with his hands on his knees. "You okay, Whisper?"

"Yes, I am alright. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just need a few seconds."

"Whisper!" A new voice suddenly shouts, sounding desperate. Silver straightens and both he and Whisper turn to look at the battle below.

A light gray and black striped tail shoots out from the battlefield below, wrapping tightly around a pole sticking out of the roof where Silver and Whisper are standing. Only a second later Tangle is seen pulling herself up to the building, soaring high over the endless sea of fighting soldiers below with one powerful jump.

She lands a bit too fast and stumbles forwards, waving her arms in wide circles so as not to fall flat on her face. Silver has to hold back a chuckle of amusement. He would've laughed if the circumstances were different.

Once Tangle has recovered she turns on her heels and practically catapults herself to Whisper. She throws her light gray arms over Whisper's neck and buries her face in the wolf's chest. "Whisper! Oh thank _god _you're okay!"

Whisper gives Tangle an uneasy smile as she awkwardly pats the head of her best friend. Silver can't help but smile warmly at the sight. An ache tugs at his heart as the actions of Whisper remind him vaguely of Blaze. The way she was so standoffish towards anyone at the beginning.

Silver bites the inside of his cheek to keep his emotions in check at the thought of Blaze. She had chosen to stay in the future, AKA her timeline, to continue being the guardian of the Sol emeralds. She would've continued going back and forth with Silver, but there was the imminent threat of a major rip in time and space. They either had to choose to say in the past or return to the future, to their timeline.

Silver had, of course, chose to stay in the past to try and save the future with his friends. He had wanted Blaze to stay with him, but she couldn't due to her duties back at home. Silver had then tried to go with her, but she had convinced him to stay, saying that his friends would most likely need his help.

The two had had a tearful goodbye with most of the tears coming from Silver's end, and Blaze had left to return to her timeline.

Silver still misses her sorely, even though it's been four years already, almost five. She is, in a way, Silver's older sister, much like the relationship between Tails and Sonic. It's why Silver had been so adamant about trying to save Sonic at the beginning, he knows what it feels like to lose a sibling. He had wanted to save Sonic as fast as he could to prevent Tails from feeling too much heartache with his missing brother.

"Thanks for saving her," Tangle's cheerful voice pulls Silver from his thoughts. He had zoned out, not paying attention to what the two had been talking about.

Realizing he still hasn't said anything, Silver clears his throat awkwardly and says, "y-you're welcome."

"Do you know what caused it?" Tangle asks, her purple eyes bright with curiosity.

Whisper simply points with a clawed index finger at the still rising plume of smoke. It isn't as thick as it had been before, Silver notes as he looks in the direction of where Whisper points. The flames at the base have grown bigger, though, and they're now visible through the thinning smoke.

"Woah!"

"Where did it come from?" Silver half asks to himself, looking up at the dark clouds above. He watches out of the corner of his eye as Tangle bounces excitedly on the balls of her feet, her tail wagging back and forth with excitement.

"It was most definitely a bomb from the sky," Whisper says, arms crossed as a troubled frown tugs at the corners of her lips. "I don't think it's here to help us, seeing as we don't have any bomb stashes at any of the bases around the world."

"True."

"Whatever it is, imma track it down and smash it to pieces!" Tangle declares, pumping a fist into the air. She starts to quickly trot towards the edge of the building, her tail sweeping back and forth in a large arch behind her as she prepares herself to take off once more. "I swear I'm gonna-"

Another explosion. It sounds like a porcelain plate shattering against the hard floor of a kitchen, and it feels like a deep slice in between fingers from a hidden knife under the soapy water in a sink.

Silver and Whisper manage to stay upright, their legs tense as they fight with the shaking of the ground. Tangle, on the other hand, isn't so lucky. She braces herself a second too late, and as a result, falls flat on her face with a loud _smack. _Followed by a few indignant curses as she struggles and fails to rise to her feet.

Luckily enough, the building the three mobians are standing on is sturdy enough to take the shockwave and quaking ground. Only a few crumbs of concrete fall from the corner of the roof, but that's the only damage taken.

Once the episode is over, Tangle leaps to her feet unfazed. She tilts her head back, raises a fist to the sky, and all but shrieks, "whoever dropped that bomb I'll hunt you down and drop a bomb of my own straight on your head!"

**XXX**

Sally Acorn kneels atop a car as the third and fourth bombs simultaneously drop from the sky. They aren't big enough to destroy the whole battlefield, of course, seeing as their own people are still down here fighting, but they do take out large chunks of land in one go. Along with a fair number of both the Freedom Fighters and the government soldiers.

She had seen one of the bombs up close, a small black and red contraption with glowing white buttons. She had seen them explode, sending people flying in all directions, both humans and mobians alike.

Sally had originally thought a third party had joined the battle, but the cheering from the humans and any lack of a new ground army joining the frantic battle, that theory had quickly been thrown out the window. Whoever's dropping bombs from above just doesn't care who they hit, even if half of the unintentional targets are the humans the Freedom Fighters are fighting against.

She can't hold back a shiver of disgust as her diamond-sharp eyes watch the battle rage on. All of her Freedom Fighters fighting courageously against the enemy, never giving up despite the odds. She would never recklessly drop bombs onto the battlefield, especially if there was a risk of her own being injured. She would give herself up to the enemy if it meant the war would be over and everything could go back to the way things used to be.

But alas, that isn't even close to the realm of "possible". So they're stuck with literally fighting for their lives against the government in hopes to overthrow the king reigning over the world to save all of the mobian race. Easier said than done, in Sally's opinion.

"Commander Sally!" A voice calls, and seconds later a pumba has jumped up onto the roof of the car, breathing heavily. Her light cream-colored fur is sweat matted and her desperate chocolate brown eyes are intensely watching the battlefield, never even once glancing over to look at Sally.

"Report." Sally automatically orders, only to cringe the second the word leaves her mouth. She would rather ask "how are you?" or "is everyone okay?", not ask for a report on how badly they're losing. But before she can ask either question, the pumba is already answering the order.

"We are being pushed back due to the bombs and a low number on our part. Many of us are unable to fight due to injuries or...or death. The rest of us are quickly growing exhausted. We are unable to find the location of the bomber, which leads us to believe they have retreated from the battlefield."

Sally frowns, her brow creasing as she cocks her gun. "Is there any word from home base for backup?"

"I'm afraid not, ma'am." The pumba wrings her paws uneasily, torn ears twitching every which way atop her head. "The troops back at the base are its only defense at the moment. We don't have enough fighters for backup."

"Damn." Sally can't help but curse under her breath.

Movement suddenly flashes in the corner of her eye and her head instinctively snaps in the direction. Lighting reflexes take over as her arm raises almost as if it has a mind of its own, her finger pulling the trigger of the gun she holds.

Sally doesn't even bat an eye as she watches the bullet fly towards its target, successfully planting itself between the eyes of a government soldier. She watches, eyes emotionless as blood and brain matter spurt out from the fresh hole in his head. The body doesn't even twitch as it crumples to the ground in a heavy heap, dead the second the bullet pierced skin.

"Gather all the remaining troops you can." Sally orders, blowing the smoke from her gun as she looks back to the pumba who is still wide-eyed and somewhat shaky, her eyes trained on the mangled corpse Sally had just shot. "Create a barrier, fight together. We will not retreat unless absolutely necessary."

"Yes, ma'am!" With that, the pumba swiftly leaps into the air, lands on the ground, and proceeds to quickly disappear behind a trio of fighting badgers against two humans.

Once she's sure the pumba is on the safe side, she leaps off of the car and joins battle once more. She ducks under swinging arms, jumps over slashing swords, dodges to the side of flying fists. Adrenaline spreads through her entire body, making all her senses hyperaware of everything around her.

She can hear the shrill battle cry of both the mobians and humans alike. The loud bang of all types of guns ringing out through tension thick air. The air is filled with so much dirt and dust it's almost suffocating, and the humid heat does nothing to help as the sweat sticks to her body in a sense that all she wants to do is find the closest cold pond to jump in and swim around.

She's so focused on getting to the other side where her troops are most likely gathering, she doesn't notice a person jump down from above until it's too late.

With a muted cry, Sally feels a sword rip down the flesh of her whole left arm, successfully making it of no use anymore. Another sword is brought down directly between her ears, though she swiftly lets herself fall to the ground at the very last second.

She quickly rolls off to the side so the momentum carrying the sword doesn't allow it to bury itself in her shoulder.

"Ah, nice move, commander." A rich voice says as Sally pushes herself up to her feet with a cringe of pain. The blood running down her arm itches, and she wants nothing more than to run it under a shower of cold water to cool the hot throbbing pain coursing through her entire left arm.

The person from which the voice came is a tall man standing at about 6"6. He's buff, his clothes looking about ready to burst with how big his muscles are. His hazel eyes are attle hardened, showing cool confidence, a belief that _he _will most definitely win this battle. His sun tanned skin is covered in ash and dirt from the bomb, sticking nicely to his skin with sweat acting like an adhesive. His ginger brown hair is stringy and sticking against his dirty forehead, though he pays it no mind as he twirls his two swords in his meaty hands.

"What, no 'hello's'?" He asks, mock hurt in the form of a frown twists on his face. "I _truly _am hurt."

"Well, I don't tend to make friends with the enemy." Sally hisses as the two slowly circle one another. Every muscle is coiled in Sally's lithe body as she prepares herself from any attacks that might be thrust her way.

"Ooh, a feisty one." The man purrs, a wide smile taking place on his face. A coldness runs down Sally's spine, and she feels somewhat sick to her stomach as the man continues smiling his creepy, toothy smile at her. "I'm sure I'll have fun with you, if you survive, of course."

"You won't even get a chance."

And Sally springs into action. With a speed akin to that of a cheetah having drunk a full can of Red Bull, she raises her gun and instinctively aims at her opponent's head. Her finger quickly pulls the trigger with a satisfying click, and an all too familiar bang melts into the rest of the battle noises around them.

Sally's keen eyes quickly pick up the movements of her opponent as he quickly twists to the right. The bullet whizzed right past his left earlobe, centimeters away from hitting its mark. He recovers in only a second and quickly thrusts one of his swords towards Sally's gut.

The lithe squirrel immediately arches back so as not to get stabbed. The second sword flies at her neck and she has to twist away, ducking under the blade as she does so.

They continue this dangerous dance of a gun and two swords, locked in a seemingly endless battle between them. Neither is willing to give up, knowing that if they fail, it's their life they'd be losing.

But Sally is quickly growing tired. She's been in too many battles over the past few months. She hasn't given herself the needed rest in order to refresh herself and heal off wounds. Not to mention the blood loss from the gash in her arm is starting to make her feel dizzy and somewhat nauseated whenever she moves too fast.

"Give it up, princess! You're no match against my strength!" The human shouts, thrusting his sword forwards once more.

Sally quickly backflips away, gasping at the searing pain running through the nerves of her arm. She doesn't recover quickly enough, and it's the opening her opponent had been searching for.

With one strong thrust of the sword, the tip of the blade buries itself deep into Sally's left shoulder. She lets out an involuntary cry, her eyes squeezing shut as she tries to fight off the tears threatening to form in her eyes. The blade gives a little jerk, and Sally gnashes her teeth together to try and ground herself.

"I've got you-" Sally doesn't give him time to finish his sentence. She flashes a quick smirk, opening her eyes though the pain is still evident in the grimace and the way she stands, body shaking. She still manages to raise her gun and presses it against the arm holding the sword still stabbed into her shoulder. She wastes no time pulling the trigger.

A scream gushes from his throat as he recoils, pressing a meaty hand against the gushing hole on his right forearm.

"What was that about having fun?" Sally can't help but mock as she grips the hilt of the sword still currently sticking out from her shoulder. With more than a grimace, she rips the sword from her shoulder.

"You bitch!" Her opponent shouts, hazel eyes wild as he practically snarls at her. He looks more like an animal that Sally herself does. His lips are twisted back, somehow revealing all the teeth in his mouth and his eyes are cast so far downwards Sally is surprised they aren't completely covering his eyes at this point.

Thick blood runs down his right arm like a river gone mad. It drips from his fingertips like thick raindrops in a tropical storm. His left hand is completely covered in blood, and it's still seeping through the cracks of his meaty fingers.

Sally's own left arm is in the same state, except her whole arm is coated in multiple layers of sleek blood, wet on wet as her wound continues to bleed fiercely. The stab wound on her shoulder causes blood to run down the left side of her chest, coating the already sky blue tank top in a dark crimson.

Her opponent suddenly lunges forwards with no warning, easily catching Sally off guard. His bloodied left hand comes up and locks around her throat, effectively cutting off all airflow in one quick movement.

"I tried being nice," he growls, pulling Sally up off the ground so their faces are just inches apart. "I'm done messing around. I'm gonna fuck you right here and now. I'm gonna fuck you so hard until you split open from the inside out, then I'll shove my cock so far down your throat you can't breathe anymore. You're dead either way, fuckin' whore."


	9. Chapter 8

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue **_for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Times are changing in Sonic's world. Eggman is executed for the crimes he's committed and the government takes Sonic into captivity for their own personal gain. Sonic is forced to go through almost six years of absolute hell until he's finally able to escape. But he's not the same, and neither is anyone else, and there's the threat of a war between mobians and humans. How will Sonic cope will all the changes? Eventual Sonilver._

**Chapter 8: Who's Beating Who Now**

The only reply Sally can give is a choked gasp as she desperately claws at the arm holding her neck, her nails leaving shallow cuts in the process. Her legs kick out weakly beneath her. She's already feeling lightheaded, the pounding in her ears drowning out the battle around her. Adrenaline spikes uselessly through her body and she can feel drool slowly pooling at the corners of her open lips, mouth wide open as she struggles to suck in the air her lungs so desperately need.

Sally's stomach drops as she's suddenly slammed to the ground, her head connecting painfully with the debris below. The little air she had left is knocked from her struggling lungs, leaving her coughing and gasping desperately. A ringing flairs up in her ears, overtaking the pounding of her own heart as a new wave of panic runs through her veins. She can feel a wetness coating the back of her head.

She struggles as hard as she can to find any way of ever getting away from the man towering over her. Her mouth hangs open as she tries to suck in all the air she can. But her body is too weak to have any glimpse of a chance of possibly overthrowing her attacker. Her fingers are tingling and blackness has started to cloud the edges of her flickering vision as she tries desperately to stay conscious.

And then the steel grasp around her throat is gone, and she makes herself half sick with how fast she takes in the air her lungs have been screaming for. She tries to focus on the ground below her as she struggles to not hyperventilate from coughing.

"I love it when you struggle." A voice suddenly says, cutting through the panic in Sally's brain. Her opponent is above her, one meaty leg pressed uncomfortably in between her upper thighs, just inches away from being too close to-

"Oh yeah?" Sally cuts the thought off, trying to remain calm. Her voice is still raspy, and she lets out another airy cough, still obviously recovering from almost being strangled to death. But still, a smirk flashes on her face as she quickly brings her knee up, pulling it straight into the man's groin.

Her opponent lets out a strangled scream and throws his head back, and it's all Sally needs to get the upper hand. She reaches over, her fingers curling around the handle of the gun she had dropped when she had been lifted into the air.

Sally wastes no time with aiming the gun and pulling the trigger.

Blood rains down on her as a gurgled cry rises in his throat. Sally pushes his convulsing body to the side, chest heaving as she quickly sits up. She tries to control her shaky breathing as the emotions racing through her mind run rampant through the rest of her body. Her heart races too fast for her to keep track, her lungs still aching from the abuse put upon them, and she feels feint from the bloodloss of her left arm.

_'I was almost...' _She can't string any full sentences together in her mind, but whether that's good or bad she doesn't know. She would rather not finish that thought as her eyes slowly trail over to the now limp corpse lying beside her shaking body.

Sure, she's fought worse battles than this, almost losing against many opponents in her time, but it had never been this severe. None of them has ever actively tried to force themselves on her like that before, and Sally can't help but wonder how many others that had happened to.

She had gotten lucky. Her attacker had become sloppy, driven by crazed rage and a strong lustful desire. He had left himself wide open for an attack on Sally's part. But she knows there had been others who have attacked her soldiers, others who had been way too smart to let themselves be caught off guard like that.

It makes her feel sick, so she wills her brain to try and take in the surroundings around her.

There are more humans than there are mobians. The Freedom Fighters are quickly being pushed back from where Sally had told the pumba to gather everyone in some sort of weak attempt at a wall. But that plan had backfired badly, and now she watches as one by one, her army falls, losing.

_'We're fighting a losing battle.' _Sally thinks, her heart dropping heavily in her chest. _'What are they even fighting for, then? None of this matters if they're all just going to be slaughtered. Hell, _none _of this matters because they'll all _die _in the end. Either it's by being killed in battle or from old age, they'll die either way.' _

Sally quickly shakes her head, desperately willing away the morbid thoughts sticking to her head like an ink stain on a white shirt. Where had those thoughts come from? She can't let herself think those, she's a commander. She has a whole _army _to command. How can she do that when she's busy moping around about people dying?

She slowly pushes herself up on shaking legs, clutching her gun tightly in her hands. She can't give up because there are so many relying on her to make the right choice, to win this war and save everyone. She can't give up because she can't let all those who have died, die in vain. She can't give up, because her father believes in her.

She sucks in a deep breath and stands taller, her shoulders broader. It only takes three seconds for her to find a clear path through the battle, and she takes it without a second thought. She swiftly shoots through the chaos, joining the Freedom Fighters at the front of the army.

"Fall back!" Sally screams over the noise, shooting her gun into the air three times. The signal to retreat that everyone had been taught. "Fall back! Carry the wounded! Get back to the base!"

Everyone immediately reacts. The humans all immediately try and cut off their retreat back in the direction of the forest, killing as many mobians off as possible. Sally does the best she can to ignore the desperate screaming as her soldiers fall all around her, quickly bleeding out.

She can see a flash above her and looks up to see Silver flying over the battle, the familiar cyan glow illuminating his body. She can see Whisper jumping from roof to roof of the buildings rising around them like trees, while Tangle uses her tail to catapult herself forward.

An inch of relief wiggles its way into the center of her heart as she words on rallying everyone together. At least her closest friends are safe and sound and don't look to have too many injuries. She can't say the same for herself, but at least she isn't dead.

Being mobians, they're way faster than humans, despite their exhaustion. They get to the treeline with a large distance between them and humans. It'll give them the extra few minutes they need to evacuate the whole base, which is what they desperately need.

She knows the humans will follow them back to base after retreating. It's happened too many times to count before. And she's learned from experience that once the humans get there, they won't even bat an eye as they start slaughtering every living, breathing thing in their path.

Sally is desperate to not let that happen. She is desperate to get everyone still living, out alive before the humans arrive. Sure, they'd lose a base, but they have others sprinkled throughout the entire _world_. They could also always build a new one at a later date when everything has calmed down.

They all rush through the forest, expertly dodging around trees and over the undergrowth. It doesn't take them long to get back to base, and thankfully they've lost sight of the humans, for now.

"Everyone to the ships!" Sally shouts at the top of her lungs over the panic when they flood into the base. "The humans will be here within five minutes! We need to leave before they get here!"

"Come on, move it!" Silver shouts as he lands beside Sally, doing his job as second in command to rally everyone up. "Help those who are too exhausted or injured to get there themselves! Make room, we only have two ships! Gather as many supplies as you can and treat the freshly wounded on the ship! There's no time to stall!"

Sally can spot others standing on the outsides of the large crowd, higher commanders helping. She can see Whisper and Tangle standing beside one another, Whisper looking more than uneasy with all the people around her, though Tangle's long tail is curled protectively behind the brown wolf as she shouts directions. Sally half wonders if the lemur's tail curling behind Whisper was intentional or not.

She can also spot the familiar orange-blonde fur of Bunny Rabbot, her green eyes blazing with determination, ears perked forward as she waves her mechanical arm. She shoots a quick wave to Sally before continuing with her task.

"Sally!" Silver suddenly exclaims beside the squirrel. She tears her eyes away from bunny to see Silver staring at her bleeding arm with wide eyes. "You're hurt!"

"It's nothing, Silver. I'll deal with it when everyone is safely on the ships." Sally replies, running a hand over her face as she sets her gun in her holster. "We're almost done anyway."

Silver frowns, eyebrows furrowing with concern. "You don't always have to be the strong one, Sally. I'm here too, you know. I can take over for you."

"True, I guess," Sally grumbles, holding her still bleeding arm as she looks away. "It's just...I don't want-I don't want to be seen as a failure."

"A failure?" Silver repeats, the frown growing. "When have you ever been-"

"Look at us, Silver!" Sally throws her arm out, gesturing to the exhausted forms of her soldiers trudging into the two ships. "We had to retreat another battle! Everyone's exhausted, our morale is at an all-time low...and...and I'm doing nothing to fix it. What kind of commander am I, just watching everyone die without trying to do anything to stop it?"

Silver is silent for a long while, looking unsure. Sally looks to the floor, biting the inside of her cheek to keep the tears from attacking her eyes. The guilt is almost too heavy for her to handle. All she wants to do is curl up somewhere, to shield herself from the rest of the world for just _five _minutes. To destress and return fresh to command the army once more. Is that too much to ask for?

"You're the only reason we're all still alive, Sally." Silver says, cutting through Sally's thoughts again. She looks back up at him to see a softness in his golden eyes, a tender smile on his muzzle. "You...you've gotten us through more battles than I can count. Sure, we've had a rough time here or there, but the only reason we've come so far is because of you. I couldn't have asked for a better commander than you, that's why I sought you out first when Amy had mentioned something about you."

Sally is speechless, for once in her life. Silver really felt that way about her? This time, she can't keep the tears from forming in her eyes as she gives a half chuckle. She uses the heel of her hand to wipe at one eye, saying, "don't give me all the credit, kid. You're a pretty great second commander."

"Thank you," Silver beams, scratching the back of his head with a light pink blush dusting his cheeks. Sally can't help but feel a warmness spread through her chest at the childish smile gracing Silver's muzzle. She can't help but return the smile with her own small one, sharp blue eyes melting into calm waters.

"Now, let's get the rest of these people on board and figure out where to head off to next."

"Right!"

* * *

The sky over the city looks sick as the sun sets in the distance, casting a dull scarlet behind black smoke clouds. Shadow stands atop one of the tallest buildings in the broken-down city, arms crossed tightly over his chest as he stares at what used to be Station Square.

Beside him stands Rouge, one hand on her hip as deep sadness blossoms in her teal eyes. Her pink lips are pursed in a frown, her large ears slightly lowered atop her head. Behind them stands Omega, his red glowing eyes examining the city as well.

"It's...gotten pretty bad." Rouge comments after a long stretch of tense silence. "I never realized..."

"Yeah." Comes Shadow's dry reply, a grimace on his face as he turns his crimson eyes away. The disappointment sits like a thick blanket of smog in his chest. They had found not even a hint of a clue as to where their target would've gone. The city had been too big to search through with just the three of them. They hadn't even covered half the ground before the sun had started to set on the horizon.

"It is advised to find shelter," Omega speaks, his robotic voice like the sound of reason through Shadow's dull thoughts.

"I agree with Omega. I'm exhausted." Rouge complains, shooting a tired toothy smile at Shadow. "Of course, you can keep searching if you'd like, seeing as you don't need sleep."

"Hmph. Let's just find a hotel to stay the night in, and then we'll keep searching for clues early in the morning."

"Sounds good to me." Rouge yawns, stretching her arms high over her head as she does so. "The sooner we get this mission over with, the faster I can get home to Alabaster."

Shadow has to hold himself back from giving an eye roll, but then again he can't judge Rouge for wanting to get back to her child. Mother instincts will forever be a mystery to him. He can't imagine anyone wanting to have a screaming bundle that can't even take care of itself.

"And Knuckles?" Shadow asks instead, raising an eye ridge at the white bat who has wandered towards the edge of the roof of which they're standing on.

"Oh, right. Him too, probably," Rouge jokes, shooting another toothy smile over her shoulder, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Come on, let's go before everything closes down for the night."

Shadow can't help but think back to the times when he had seen Alabaster as he follows his teammate through the city in search of a hotel. It had only been a few small times, most of which were just glimpses when he had stopped by Rouge's apartment to pick her up for a mission Team Dark had been assigned on.

One of the few times when he had actually _seen_ Alabaster was when Rouge was still in the hospital after giving birth to him. It had been a day later. Shadow had wanted to be there the day that Rouge had given birth, something about support or whatnot, but he had been caught up on a mission.

Rouge had been holding a bundle of baby blue blankets when Shadow had walked into the sterile room. He remembers feeling extremely uncomfortable as he had approached the bed. It had only been him and Rouge in the room, then, seeing as it was late at night when visiting hours were just about up.

He remembers how bright Rouge's eyes had been, how happy she had looked. Happier than she's been in a long time. There had been a newfound tenderness in her movements since then, something that comes with motherhood if Shadow were to guess.

She had made him hold the bundled infant, much to Shadow's extreme discomfort. He's never really been around small children before, opting to stay away in fear he might hurt them by accident. He had seen Sonic many times before, holding the infants of fans he meets on the streets, cooing and rocking them like a natural.

The infant had been so _small _and delicate in Shadow's strong arms. He remembers having looked down at the tanned cheeks, pinkened as babies cheeks are always pink. The little nose, the curious bright teal eyes staring into Shadow's own blood-red ones. The delicate tuft of hair atop an ash gray head.

"Let's check this one out," Rouge suddenly says, stopping directly in front of Shadow. The hedgehog would've run into her had she not stepped inside the building, shooting Shadow an amused smile. "Lost in thought, Shadow?"

Shadow pointedly looks away, arms crossed over his arms once more as the group makes their way towards the front desk of the poorly lit lobby.

"Hello, room for two please," Rouge says, holding up two fingers as she says this, her other hand on her hip. There is a velvet smooth smile on her face, her eyes half-lidded as she stares at the young beaver behind the desk who looks more than flustered as his eyes lock on Rouge's chest that she sticks out all too obviously.

"R-right, of course!" He exclaims, scrambling to grab a key for the white bat. "That'll be, uh, that'll be sixty bucks."

"Seriously? For just one night?" Rouge asks, looking less than amused as she crosses her arms under her chest. She sticks her nose up in the air, looking as if someone had just insulted the whole race of bats. "Ridiculous."

"I-I'm so sorry, ma'am!" The bever exclaims, cheeks reddening with embarrassment, obviously not knowing how to handle this situation. Shadow only rolls his eyes as the young anthropomorph shoots a desperate look his way. "I-um, let me...I can give you a discount of twenty dollars, bringing the price down to forty, but that's all I can do."

Rouge sighs, turning her head to look back at the beaver once more. She leans forward, purposefully making it easy for someone to have the perfect top view of her busty chest. She sticks out her plump bottom lip, tapping a delicate finger against her chin. "Really? That's all? That's all you're willing to do for little ol' me?"

"Uh-um..."

"Come on, hon. I know you can do better than that." Rouge lowers the tone of her voice, sounding almost husky as she steps forward, leaning over on the counter with her chin resting on the back of a hand. Her eyes are half-lidded and there is an almost predatory glint in her teal eyes.

Shadow almost can't resist face-palming at the bat's antics. Although she's in a relationship, nothing changes. He'd like to see how Knuckles would react if the echidna were here right now. He'd probably lose his mind at the sight, though Shadow doesn't know if he would completely beat up the beaver or lecture Rouge on proper etiquette.

"Twenty dollars." The beaver's voice cracks and a predatory smile grows on Rouge's lips.

"Perfect."

This time, Shadow can't hold back from slapping his own forehead at Rouge's antics.


	10. Chapter 9

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Sonic has been missing for almost six years now. During his absence, corruption has overcome the government, making life a living hell for everyone. It's been the job of everyone else to step up in Sonic's place, to try and save the world with a losing war on their end. But what happens when Sonic suddenly appears out of nowhere, completely different and yet the same? SONILVER._

**Author's Note: **_From here on out the summary will be changed to something different. However, I won't go back to later chapters to change it because it wouldn't be worth it just to change only the summary._

**Chapter 9: You're**** Here**

Rouge wakes up early the next morning. The hotel bed had felt more like sleeping on a crate than an actual bed, so it's a miracle she had gotten any sleep at all. At least it's better than sleeping on the floor in some random alleyway.

With a yawn, Rouge stretches still laying down in bed. Her back arches off the mattress while her wings stretch wide on both sides of her.

Once she's more awake, the white bat sits up and looks around the room they had rented early last night. She rubs the sleep from her eyes with yet another yawn that she tries and tails to control, her tired eyes roaming the small room.

It isn't anything special. There's the queen-sized bed that she lays on which sits in the middle of the room, while there is a run down desk in the far corner. At the desk sits Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge's best friend and teammate. From what she can see, he's haunched over the desk, reading over the case file once more.

Rouge sighs, a sadness washing over her heart. She hates seeing people hurt, physically or not. She used to not care as much, but ever since she's become a mother, she's become more in tune with other's feelings. She's still the happy go lucky bat that she had been before she became a mother, but she's also somewhat the mom of the group. She doesn't fuss over Shadow or Omega as much as she fusses over Alabaster when he scrapes his knee after tripping and falling.

Not only that, but she's also known Shadow for a long time. And knowing someone that long tends to let you easily read their social cues. So Rouge had easily seen Shadow struggling with the mission. She can see it in his eyes every time they find a hint of a clue, the way he looks more than uncomfortable.

She hates watching him suffer like this, but she can't do anything to help. He won't let her in, and Rouge isn't one to push people to force herself in. She's one to silently stand back and wait for someone to talk to her about their problems. Her mere presence can get people to break under the pressure and finally spill their feelings, but Shadow's a whole different story.

He used to, but ever since they failed in their mission to rescue Sonic during the heist a few years back, Shadow has never been the same. He's been more on edge and aggressive, not to mention overprotective as all hell of those close to him. He's forced Rouge to drop a mission a few times in fear that she wasn't up to the task. To which the bat had been extremely pissed off and had given Shadow the cold shoulder for a week or so, but deep down she was never really angry with him about it.

How could she be? What friend would she be if she got angry every time Shadow was dealing with his anxieties and worries? Not a very good one, that's for sure. Besides, it had been nice to spend time with the little family she's made herself. And, let's be honest, she had been needing a break anyways.

The thought of her family sends a jolt of longing through her heart. Oh, how she wishes she could see her baby, to hear him call her excitedly when she walks through the door after an extremely tiring day. To scoop him up in her arms and rub their noses together. To hug his little body tight, almost like an invincible shield to the world beyond.

Something Rouge has learned over the three almost four years of being a mother, it's that nothing is stronger than the fierce protectiveness of a mother.

"You're up early." Shadow's deep voice suddenly says, cutting through the cold silence like an even colder shard of glass.

Rouge blinks, having not expected Shadow to be the first one to speak, but easily recovers. "Yeah, kinda figures since the bed not all that good for my back. Too bad the kid wouldn't let me hang from one of the rafters in the ceiling."

Shadow only grunts as a reply. Rouge watches as the hedgehog stands from the splintering chair, closing the case file as he does so. He turns his sharp crimson eyes on Rouge, examining her for a brief second before he makes his way to the opposite corner where Omega is currently in sleep mode.

"Now that you're awake, I see no point in staying here," Shadow says as he kneels beside the robot.

Rouge can't help but let out a groan as she rolls her head back, leaning on her arms as she stares up at the bland ceiling. "Can't I have just five more minutes?"

"This is a mission, not a vacation."

"Fine, fine. Whatever you say, 'edgehog." Rouge giggles at the nickname as she swings her legs over the bed. Shadow sends her a brief look, eyes narrowed while his lips are twisted into what looks to be a scowl.

Rouge does a couple more stretches to warm up her sore muscles. She even gives her wings a couple of experimental flaps before slipping her hands onto her hips, smiling cheekily at Shadow. She can't help but feel a lightness return to her chest at her playful jests to her moody teammate.

For some reason, she can't help but feel that today is going to be a lot better than yesterday.

* * *

Tails hadn't been able to get any sleep last night. His mind had been filled with so many jumbled thoughts it had _hurt_. His fearful thoughts of the future had morphed into actual physical feelings. Fear about what Henry would do to his workshop had morphed into physical nausea until Tails had thrown up what little food he had in his stomach. Worry about Sonic had turned into long hours of nonstop bawling his eyes out, and the stress of dealing with everything turned into a full-on headache on the verge of a migraine.

They had all morphed into one heaving disgusting blob of a mess, both in body and in mind. He had been a complete wreck for the majority of the night, unable to control his harsh sobbing and intense stream of tears. His whole body feels sore from how much he had been shaking with the raw emotion of it all coursing through his already shot nervous system.

It all just makes him feel heavy. Like someone had dropped a huge fifty-pound weight straight down onto his chest from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Or maybe someone had taken a huge hand and squeezed his entire body until his heart popped and his eyes squeeze out of their sockets.

The thought sends a shiver down Tails' spine, and he tries to distract himself by trying to figure out what he would do from here.

He could always move back in with Amy, but he doesn't want to be a burden. Amy already has herself and her husband to feed, and Tails is sure she doesn't need to fresh mouths to feed-if Sonic eventually wakes up-if that is Amy chooses to actually take in Sonic.

God, Tails hadn't even _thought _about what would happen to Sonic. His mutated brother isn't in the right condition to defend himself. Hell, Sonic isn't even _awake_ right now, there's no way he can handle himself. He's been missing for almost _six years_. Tails doesn't know where he had been during that time, but he has a good feeling Sonic wouldn't be in the right mind to fight anyways.

The young fox kit sighs as he makes hi sway to the makeshift operating table where Sonic is still unconscious. Nothing's changed since yesterday. No improvements, but at least his condition hasn't gotten worse. Tails tries to hold onto that little thought, that little dull flicker of hope as he gets to work on changing the bandages tightly wrapped around Sonic's whole torso.

Careful gloved hands delicately remove the bandages and gauze, though the young fox can't keep himself from grimacing at the harsh wound stitched into Sonic's side. He knows Sonic can't feel it, seeing as he's unconscious and all, but Tails still can't help but feel bad. Sonic had been in so much pain when he first wandered into Tails' workshop, the little fox doesn't even want to imagine how much pain Sonic would be in when he wakes up.

_'And it will be when.' _Tails thinks to himself as he carefully takes a damp rag and begins to clean the area around the stitches. He can't bring himself to think of any other scenario where Sonic _doesn't _wake up. He has hope that Sonic will eventually wake up, however long it'll be. Because Sonic _never _loses, not once since Tails had known him. Even when he had disappeared, he still managed to somehow return, even in the dying condition he had been in.

Tails finishes up with cleaning up the wound as fast as he can, unable to look at it any longer. He quickly but carefully rubs more ointment on the wound, a shield against infection. Tails doesn't know the condition of Sonic's immune system at the moment, but he's sure it isn't all that great with how underweight and dehydrated Sonic is. He isn't sure Sonic's body can handle an infection, and he doesn't want to take any chances either. So he uses the ointment.

Tails finishes up with his task and carefully begins to patch up the wound once more. He's careful of moving around Sonic's body, not wanting to irritate the many broken ribs and cracked limbs from the hit he had taken from Amy's hammer. This is a difficult task to do, seeing as Tails has to wrap bandages around Sonic's _whole _torso, not just the front.

Experience comes from previous years of fixing Sonic up after the battles with Eggman. Even though Sonic's wounds had never been this intense before, at least that Tails' has seen, he still manages to swiftly finish bandaging Sonic. Though, the thought of the old days when it was just him and Sonic against Eggman brings a fresh set of tears to his eyes.

Why did things have to change? How had it gotten so bad in the first place? Did the world really rely on Sonic to make it right? Tails doesn't know, but it certainly seems like it with how quickly things had escalated since Sonic had disappeared all those years ago.

Tails takes a few steps back, angrily rubbing at the tears in his eyes as he examines his handiwork. It isn't as good as Amy, seeing as Amy is an actual doctor and Tails isn't, but it'll suffice until...until what? Until Amy comes back to help again? Tails doubts that'll happen. He had seen the look on Amy's face when she had left two days ago. She had been _pissed_, so say the least.

The young fox is just about to turn and head out of the backroom when something catches his eye, stopping him mid-turn.

It's small, almost invisible to those not looking, but Tails would be stupid to have not caught it with how much he'd been searching, _waiting _for a sign. The small flick of an ear is all Tails needs to feel a fresh rush of hope and excitement and worry run rampant through his chest, causing him to suck in a sharp breath of air and hold it. Sky blue eyes search desperately for any other sign of movement from Sonic.

"Sonic?" Tails hesitantly asks, blue eyes hopeful as his namesakes slowly lift a few inches off the grimy floor.

He watches, his chest aching from barely breathing, but he can't help it. His whole body trembles with anticipation, eyes wide as he leans forward. But nothing happens. Disappointment weighs heavy on the young fox's shoulders as his twin tails slowly lower back down to the floor, even more droopy than before. His shoulders drop and he heavily exhales the breath he had trapped inside his lungs.

And suddenly emerald eyes snap open so fast Tails jumps back with a surprised yelp, almost like he had touched the hot surface of a stove. His heart races a bit too quickly in his chest and excitement can't help but rear her pretty face, dancing like sparks in Tails' expectant sky blue eyes.

Tails holds his hands close to his chest as he moves close to the table, ears angled forward while his eyes are locked on Sonic's face. Said hedgehog is staring unblinkingly up at the ceiling, lips pulled into a thin line. But years of knowing Sonic, even after the hedgehog's disappearance, has made it easy to read the emotions of his older brother.

Panic is clear as day in almost wild emerald green eyes. His whole body gives the small image of tense muscles, his chest barely moving as he holds his breath.

"Sonic?" Tails asks once more. A fluffy blue ear twitches at the voice and finally, ever so slowly, Sonic slowly turns his head to look at Tails who is now standing right beside the makeshift operating table. He almost can't contain himself, keeping his arms close to his body so as not to give the hedgehog a bone-crushing bearhug right then and there.

But he's also scared to get any closer. Not because he thinks Sonic will hurt him. No, quite the opposite. He's scared because he half expects this all to be some sick twisted attempt at a mind game being played on him in one of his many nightmares. He's scared that the second he even _breathes _on Sonic, the hedgehog will melt away into a puddle of nothingness on the operating table and that Tails will wake up in a cold sweat to see that Sonic isn't here. That it was all a very long dream.

But Sonic's voice sounds just as real as Tails remembers it when the hedgehog speaks, despite the rough edge and how it slightly rumbles deeper in his chest. "I'm...is this...I'm finally...you're really...Tails?"

Tails can't keep the tears out of his eyes this time as he gives a small incline of his head, telling Sonic that yes, he is indeed Tails. His voice comes out sounding more like a squeak, but he could care less right now as he says, "yes, Sonic. I-I'm Tails and-and you're-you're finally back."

The little fox watches silently as emerald eyes slowly widen with the realization of it all, misting over with tears. The raw emotions drowning emerald eyes are enough to cause a shudder to run down Tails' spine, like a shockwave of emotion emitting from the mutated hedgehog in front of him.

The way Sonic's bottom lip trembles, the way his face twists into a sob with the realization that he's _home _feels like a hand squeezing Tails' heart. His heart, no, his whole _body _hurts from the emotional twisting rollercoaster spinning around the both of them, traveling at speeds rivaling that of Sonic himself.

Sonic suddenly sits up so fast Tails cringes at the popping of his cracked bones, but the hedgehog shows no sign of even noticing as he wraps his arms around his little brother. A sob rips its way out of Tails' throat as the little fox buries his face in Sonic's fluffy chest, his own arms wrapping tightly around Sonic's torso.

Sure, the peach color of Sonic's chest is now a dirty light ice blue, and his normally rich cobalt blue is now a navy blue, but none of that matters. Not the thick smell of blood and rust and _death _clinging to Sonic, not the different color nor the drastic change in size. All that matters is that Sonic is _back_. He's _home_ and _safe _and _alive_. That's all Tails could ever ask for in a world so broken it can't even support itself.

They're both a complete wreck, but that doesn't matter in the slightest to Tails as they remain hugging one another for the longest time. He doesn't know how much time goes by. Seconds? Minutes? Maybe even hours at this point. Tails just doesn't want it to end.

He's been waiting for Sonic to come back home for _years_. He had been one of the only ones to still have hope, to still keep searching although he _knew _he would have no luck in finding Sonic. But none of that matters now because Sonic is home and he's okay. Tails doesn't ever want to let go of his big brother, his fingers digging into matted bloodstained fur.

He's scared that if he lets go, Sonic will disappear forever. He's scared that Sonic won't come back if he lets go. He's hoping so desperately that this isn't some sick dream, that this is _real_ and that Sonic is awake. It just _hurts _and he's so emotionally exhausted that his whole body feels like it's collapsing in on itself with how hard he's crying.

Despite how weak Sonic is, he's still warm. Just like how Tails remembered their hugs to be before Sonic had disappeared. The warmth melts away the coldness of all his worries. The sickness of a sense of impending doom that had latched itself tightly to Tails ever since the government had started collapsing with corruption. It all melts away like snow in the microwave.

He _knows _everything still isn't okay. He doesn't know what happened to Sonic, but he's definitely dealing with the trauma of whatever happened. And Tails isn't exactly okay either, still having to work through all the thick, sticky thoughts melting his brain in a hazy cloud of fog, but it _feels _okay. And as long as it feels okay, Tails _knows _it'll always be okay in the end.

Because that's how it always works whenever Sonic is around, and Tails isn't about to give up on that now, nor ever. He would travel to the depths of the _earth_ if Sonic needed, and he knows Sonic would do the same for him. And at this very moment, it does feel like Tails had done just that. All the hardships, all the times he had been beaten down over and over again to try and find Sonic, it was all worth it.

His big brother is home and they're okay again. Everything will be okay again.

It has to be.


	11. Chapter 10

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Sonic has been missing for almost six years now. During his absence, corruption has overcome the government, making life a living hell for everyone. It's been the job of everyone else to step up in Sonic's place, to try and save the world with a losing war on their end. But what happens when Sonic suddenly appears out of nowhere, completely different and yet the same? SONILVER._

**Chapter 10: Follow the Blood Trail**

The change in personality is immediately noticeable. For starters, Tails had expected his brother to talk nonstop for hours, catching up on everything he's missed. Instead, the mutated 'hog is almost as quiet as Shadow. Sure he responds to conversations but he sounds more tired, more beaten down.

Tails has also noticed that Sonic is clingy. Whenever he goes anywhere out of sight, sonic immediately freaks out and tries to get off the table. He had ripped out the IV numerous times, along with the heart monitor which had caused it to go haywire. Tails had almost had a stroke each time he heard the monitor, having expected the worse only to find Sonic struggling to get off the table yet again.

Sonic isn't in the best condition. He still has major injuries that have barely even begun to heal, and yet he's still trying to get up and walk around on his own. The most he can do is sit up, and even then that's a stretch with his broken ribs and all. So the fact that he freaks out so badly when the fox is out of sight is worrisome, to say the least.

It's early afternoon when Kylo shows up for his shift. Tails' ears twitch as he hears the familiar sound of the bell ringing, followed by the sloppy steps of the teenager as he makes his way into the back room.

Tails isn't the only one that noticed, however. Sonic has gone stock still, his eyes narrowing as he slowly sits up in a predatory fashion. He makes no noise, his ears perked forwards while he lifts his nose to the air, taking in the scent of the newcomer. And Tails _knows _there's going to be a problem by the way Sonic's quills immediately start brisling.

"Hey, Boss? You back here? The sigh was off so I wasn't sure if-" Kylo stops in the doorway, his face paling at the sight of Sonic.

Said hedgehog immediately begins growling, a feral noise ripping from his throat. Tails is sure that it would hurt if Sonic was in any other form, even his werehog form.

"Sonic, it's okay!" Tails quickly exclaims, rushing over from his work table when he sees Sonic slowly shift on the table. Even if Sonic has changed, he still knows his brother like no one else. He knows the signs when Sonic is defensive, angry, preparing to attack...he knows it all. And right now, despite his critical state, Tails is sure Sonic would take any chance he has to lunge at Kylo still frozen in the doorway.

"He's a _human_! Let me take care of him. I won't let him-"

"No, Sonic. You will do...none of what you're thinking about doing to him," Tails all but barks out, sky blue eyes unwavering. HE feels like their roles have changed, like he's the older brother bossing around his kid brother, telling him to do things the other doesn't want to do.

Of course, Sonic seldom ever told Tails what to do before, it was more harmless teasing than anything, but still.

"Do you not trust me?" Sonic asks, a flash of hurt blowing past his now widened emerald eyes. "I promise I'll-"

"What? No! Of course I trust you, Sonic." Tails exclaims, his hands shaking back and forth in a "no" manner as he holds his palms towards Sonic.

"So then...why won't you let me kill him? Why are you protecting him!?"

"K-kill me?" Kylo squeaks out, sounding a lot smaller than he is as he cowers in the doorway.

Tails sighs. Whatever happened to Sonic has clearly caused an extreme distrust verging on hate for humans. Just the sight of them can send Sonic on a crazed frenzy, apparently. It kind of reminds him of when Shadow had lost his memories.

"He's good. Remember when you would save the world for all these humans?" Tails asks, moving to block Sonic's sight of Kylo every time the lost hero would try to stare down the kid. "Everyone was nice to you then, right?"

Sonic doesn't respond. His green eyes are uneasy as he shifts, his quills still bristling, but at least he doesn't look like he's going to kill Kylo on sight anymore. Not the best improvement, but it's still a start, however small it may be.

"You have to remember that not everyone is bad. Whatever happened to you is wrong, and whoever did it are the bad ones. Kylo's just a kid, he would _never _think about hurting another living creature, let alone a _plant_."

"Y-yeah, what-what he said," Kylo speaks, but there is an obvious trembling in his voice. "I'm just working for Mr. Tails, honest."

"So, how about it? Will you leave him be?" Tails asks, giving a hopeful smile. Sonic glances to Kylo again and instead of blocking his view, Tails steps aside for Sonic to see him better.

A tense silence falls over the three as Sonic examines Kylo. Tails watches intensely, ready to step in if Sonic shows any more signs of aggression.

I"ll stay away from you, if that'll help." Kylo says hesitantly. HE doesn't sound as scared now tat his life isn't in any immediate danger from a rampaging mutant hedgehog, though he's still very clearly uneasy under the stare of intense emerald irises.

Sonic licks his chops, eyes darting to Tails before he looks back to Kylo again. "Away from me _and _you, Tails."

"No, Sonic. He's working for me, he kinda has to be around me. "Tails explains, exasperated. He somewhat wonders if the humans had messed around with Sonic's brain.

Sonic scoffs, leaning back though he doesn't look very pleased. "Fine."

"You promise you won't attack him?"

Sonic looks away, upper lip curling back with a sneer. "Yes."

"Good," Tails chirps, clapping his hands together with a bright smile. "Now that that's settled, I'd like to speak with you, Kylo, about business matters."

"Business matters?" Kylo frowns, glancing at Sonic. "Are you...firing me?"

"Chaos no, at least I hope not," Tails mumbles the last bit to himself as he makes his way over to where Kylo still stands. He pauses and looks over his shoulder, but he deadpans when he sees Sonic trying to stand once more. "Knock it off, Sonic. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

Sonic pauses with a huff, frustration burning clearly in his eyes. He lowers himself back onto the table and lays down on his belly, his chin resting on his hands, much like a dog would.

_'So dramatic, even now.' _Tails muses before he turns back around and heads out to the main part of his shop, Kylo following close behind.

"Alright, so, if I'm not getting fired then-"

"We're probably going out of business." Tails bursts, surprising even himself. Kylo blinks, eyes widening. Tails clears his throat awkwardly before he tells Kylo the whole story about what had happened.

He explains that he failed to meet the deadline for the first time with Henry, how he got caught up with the whole Sonic situation and how he had missed the second deadline resulting in him losing his single most important customer and main source of income.

"Wow, so uh...then um..." Kylo trails off, shifting as he fiddles with his ha_nds. "So...you'll have to fire me, then?" _

_ "_I don't want to. I want to say it'll be okay, I really, _really _do, but I...I don't-I know I'd be lying to myself and you. I was raised differently. I was raised to tell the truth but to also be hopeful. I just...I don't want to have false hope because then-because nothing happens." Tails says slowly, biting his lip as he looks away. "I don't...I don't know what to do anymore. I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out, right?" Kylo asks, almost desperately as he runs a hand through his shaggy hair. "I mean, that's what you always do. Right? Just when things seem like they aren't working, you...you always save the day with some genius plan. Right?"

Tails sighs and turns around, desperately trying to hold himself together but fails miserably. He's flattered, and yet he can't help but feel guilty at the image of how he had been before things had changed. Before Sonic had disappeared. But now, no matter how hard he works, no matter how many elaborate schemes he somehow manages to come up with, in the end, he knows he'll fall flat from fulfilling his former title.

"Well, whatever happens, you'll always be a hero to me," Kylo says, resting a gentle hand on Tails' tense shoulder.

The young fox quickly whirls around, eyes bright as he looks up at Kylo who smiles back while saying, "even if it seems hopeless now, I _know _you and Sonic will pull through and save the world. It's just what you do."

Tails gives a shaky smile of his own. "Thanks, Kylo. That...that really means a lot to me. I needed to hear that."

"No problem, boss. I'm here if you ever just need someone to talk to." Kylo shyly scratches the back of his head, a lopsided grin taking place on his face. "Now, what do you want me to do?"

"Let's start by tidying up the shelves."

* * *

"Ugh, this is _pointless_!" Rouge shouts at no one in particular as she throws her arms up in the air. "What are we even doing anymore?"

Shadow only rolls his eyes in response, though he can't help but agree with her. He's leaning against a grimy brick wall in a gross dark alleyway. It's currently mid-afternoon and they've been searching for any sign of clues the whole goddamn day. He's starting to feel just as frustrated as Rouge. He's sure even Omega is starting to grow restless with the lack of information on their part.

"complaining won't do us any good," Shadow says half to himself as he pushes himself off the wall. He crosses his arms and walks over to where Rouge is standing. "Let's go. Maybe we-"

"Shadow, I am _this _close to packing up and going home." Rouge hisses, holding her index and thumb just centimeters apart. "I'm cold, my wings hurt, I miss Knuckles and Alabaster, I'm-"

"Shadow, I've spotted a blood trail on the next block over from your current location." Omega's robotic voice suddenly says through the communicator on Shadow's wrist. Rouge abruptly shuts up, her large ears perking forwards while interest brightens her teal eyes.

"Does it match the blood sample from the bullet?" Shadow asks, glancing at Rouge.

"Scanning data now," Omega says. The two mobians wait for a long three minutes before Omega speaks up again. "Scan complete. Processing...processing...the trail matches the blood sample from the bullet."

"Wait, seriously?" Rouge asks, eyes wide with surprise before her shoulders slump. "Why do I have a feeling this sounds easier than it'll actually be?"

"We're on our way Omega.' Shadow says, ignoring Rouge's statement as he looks at the map on his communicator for the signal from Omega.

He lowers into a running stance and says, "let's go Rouge, the faster we-"

"Can't I have at _least _five minutes? My wing are killing me!" She complains, her wings dropping limply behind her for an added emphasis to her words.

Shadow sighs with irritation. "The faster we get this done, the faster you'll be able to go home to your family."

"Oh fine," Rouge pouts while crossing her arms. A sly smile then grows on her plump lips as she says, "you sure have a way with words, Shadow. Careful, or you might just scoop me off my feet."

"Let's _go_."

"Fine, fine. Party killer. NO wonder no one at my bar likes you, you're always-"

And ita's at this pint when Shadow has had enough. He activates his jet shoes and shoots off, leaving Rouge to watch amusedly as he speeds off down the road and turns a corner out of sight.

He just wants to get this mission done and over with, not stand around and deal with Rouge's antics. Seriously, the world could be _ending _and Rouge would waste time by teasing everyone. OF course, she can be serious when needed, but she would never pass an opportunity to tease Shadow.

He can't think about it anymore, however, because he spots Omega in the distance as he turns the corner. IT's only seconds later when he slows to a graceful stop beside the towering robot.

"Rouge should be here soon," Shadow says, wiping nonexistent dust from his shoulder. "She said her wings were sore, so she might be a bit slow."

"Medical assistance to Agent Rouge is a top priority. Retrieving medical supplies-"

"No, no that isn't necessary." Shadow quickly says then pinches the bridge of his muzzle. "It isn't anything major, just sore muscles I think."

"Understood."

"Did you trace back the trail? Find where it came from?" Shadow asks as he crosses his arms and looks down at the dried splotches of blood painting the ground a brown crimson.

"Affirmative. The trail leads back to the forest outside the city from where we came from." Omega answers, somehow taking a formal tone to his robotic voice. "I thought it unnecessary to go any further than that."

"Fair enough. Let's-"

"Hey, boys!" Rouge suddenly calls, followed by the sound of flapping wings. Shadow looks up and watches unimpressed as the bat lands smoothly beside him, heels clicking against the scraggly pavement. "Miss me?"

"Took you long enough," Shadow grumbles, turning away. "Now that everyone's here we can find out where the trail leads to."

"Mission update: follow the blood trail," OMega says, beginning to walk after Shadow as the hedgehog starts walking down the sidewalk, following the trail. Rouge follows shortly after, pouting but thankfully quite as she jogs to catch up to Shadow. The Ultimate LIfeform isn't sure he'd be able to deal with Rouge's antics for the remainder of the day.

Shadow isn't sure how long they're following the old trail. He's surprised it's even still there to begin with, but then again this city is practically abandoned so he shouldn't be so surprised. He's just glad it hadn't rained since the night their target had escaped the laboratory or else they'd have nothing to go on.

The further they get, the bigger the splashes of dried blood get. It isn't long before they come to a huge puddle of blood right in front of a semi-dark alleyway. The only light comes from the flickering "open" sign at the end of the short alleyway.

"Well, this is sure something," Rouge comments, her hand resting against her hip as she examines the dried puddle of blood. "I wonder what happened here."

Shadow frowns and kneels beside Rouge, gingerly brushing a gloved hand over the ground. The shimmering of glass catches his attention and he carefully picks up a small shard about the size of the point of his index finger, just big enough for him to easily examine. He holds it in the palm of his hand and both him and Rouge examine the shimmering shard.

"There seems to have been a fight,' Shadow finally says as he drops the glass to the ground. Both he and Rouge stand up while Shadow wipes his hands together and looks to the other two. "I think we're close."

"Finally," Rouge sighs, a flash of exhaustion blocking her teasing facade. "I can't _wait _to go home and see-."

"Observation: the trail leads down the alleyway to the door. It would be wise to check it out." Omega says, earning an annoyed look from Rouge.

"Right," Shadow nods, "we'll check it out, then."

The trip all head down the dirty alleyway. Shadow has to keep from gagging at the putrid smell of rotting garbage and bodily fluids he doesn't want to think about. Though, he's one to bear his suffering silently. Rouge, on the other hand, is a whole other story.

"Ugh! This _reeks_!" She exclaims, her voice just below a shout as she pinches her nose with one hand while flicking her other hand. Even her eyes are watering as she says, "can't I just hang back and let you boys deal with it?"

"No, because I don't know what we're walking in to. We may need you, Rouge." Shadow snaps, coming to a stop in front of the door. "our target is very clearly injured, there's no telling what it could do if cornered. Obexians are seen more like wild animals than actual Mobians. And you know what happens when a wild animal is backed into a corner."

"Right."

Shadow carefully opens the door. He really shouldn't be as surprised as he is when he sees the lights inside the building on, along with a young human working on organizing the shelves not too far away.

"Oh, hello!" The human chirps at the sound of the bell. "Let me just finish up over here. Feel free to look around in the meantime!"

Shadow steps aside to give Rouge and Omega more room as they pile in front of the door. He then looks around the shop, sharp eyes looking for any sign of something being wrong.

The shop seems to be some kind of robotics place if the smell of oil and metal isn't a dead giveaway. Little robotic knick-knacks are littering the shelves almost haphazardly, almost as if the person that had thrown them on didn't have time to organize them. Had something happened? Other shelves look nicely organized with some just look...lazy.

Shadow's suspicion only grows when he sees a dark stain hidden below a bigger shelf. There are smaller splotches, black against the dark gray of the smooth floor. His eyes narrow, but he doesn't have a chance to talk with his team before the human walks over to them.

"Sorry about that," he says, eyes bright under shaggy hair. "We had a bit of uh...a problem a couple of days ago so we didn't have much time to tidy up for customers."

"A problem?" Rouge asks, raising a brow. "What kind?"

"Oh, it's nothing, don't worry about it." He replies with the wave of a hand, though Shadow doesn't miss the quick flickering of eyes as the kid looks away. And as the biohog looks closer, he can easily see the nervousness dancing in his eyes along with the fiddling of the hands.

"So, what can I do for you?" The boy asks, eyes darting up to Omega. "Are you wanting some fine tunes for your friend here? It's an awesome model, by the way. A bit old, but-"

"Observation: you are unfit to work on fixing up the likes of me." Omega snaps. The teen jumps, excitement flooding his wide eyes.

"Woah! I haven't heard a robot like this talk in a _long _while! Where'd you get it from?"

"That's a long story that we don't have the time nor patience to go over," Shadow grumbles, cutting off Rouge before she can say anything about it. She glares and crosses her arms indignantly, though Shadow pays no mind.

"O-okay...so what _do _you have time for?" The boy asks, wringing his hands. Even though Shadow is shorter for the human, none of his intimidation is lost in the missing numbers as Shadow narrows his crimson eyes at the boy.

"Are you the owner?" Rouge asks, lightening the tenseness that falls over the group.

"Oh, uh, no, I'm just an employee. I can go get the boss if you want, he's in the back room."

"We'd love that, thank you, hun," Rouge says, her tone thickly sweet. Shadow takes a deep breath as he watches the kid skitter away, disappearing into the back room. Rouge then turns to Shadow, arms crossed just under her bust as she glares at the 'hog.

"You don't have to be so rude, you know."

"Simple friendly conversations are not of my concern. I just want to get this mission over with." Shadow snaps, turning so he doesn't have to deal with the glare in Rouge's teal eyes.

They wait in silence from then on, Shadow's eyes locked on the dark stain. He can see out of the corner of his eye Rouge is itching to say something more, though he could care less at the moment. It's just the way he does things, and he knows Rouge knows that. So why try scolding him when it won't even work?

But then Rouge gasps beside him and Shadow immediately looks up, eyes landing on the familiar fox walking from the backroom in front of the employee. Rouge's voice confirms Shadow's suspicions as she says, "Tails!?"


	12. Chapter 11

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Sonic has been missing for almost six years now. During his absence, corruption has overcome the government, making life a living hell for everyone. It's been the job of everyone else to step up in Sonic's place, to try and save the world with a losing war on their end. But what happens when Sonic suddenly appears out of nowhere, completely different and yet the same? SONILVER._

**Chapter 11: Been A While, Kid**

Tails still looks like the same little fox kit from a few years ago, if not slightly older. He has the spark of life lighting his bright sky blue eyes, something he had been sorely missing the last time Shadow had seen him. Which makes sense, considering the last time Shadow had seen the young fox was when Tails had tried taking his own life.

His orange and white fur is more on the dirty side, tangled and even matted in a few places. The apron around his waist is dirty with dark stains of oil patches and whatever else comes with working in a robotic's shop. The goggles atop his head are cracked and look more like they had been found in a dumpster just outside. And yet, the fact that he hast the fierce hope burning bright in his eyes once more is a blinding contrast to the rest of his ragged appearance.

Shadow isn't one to admire people, but he can't help but respect Tails' dedication to finding Sonic. He _knows _that's what's kept Tails going for this long. It's the main thing that got him through the darkest time in his life when he had been in the hospital after his failed attempt at suicide. Since then he's managed to buy a workshop while supporting himself at the same time.

If Shadow had been locked away for ten years and come back, he would've thought everything would have been the same if Tails had been the first person he ran into. He's still the same bright-eyed and bushy fox kid from almost six years ago before the government had gone corrupt.

"Shadow? Rouge? And Omega?" Tails' voice asks, pulling Shadow from his thoughts. "Why-what is Team Dark doing here? I haven't seen you guys in _years_!"

"Sorry about that hun, G.U.N. tends to keep us more on the busy end," Rouge says with a bright smile at the kid. "Speaking of G.U.N., we're here on a mission. Since when have you been living on your own?"

"For a few years now," Tails replies almost shyly as he rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

"Nice place, considering the circumstances we're all in."

"Th-thanks Rouge."

"Greetings fox," Omega says, his sharp eyes practically piercing Tails. Sometimes Shadow wonders what it would be like if Omega was a mobian instead of a robot. But then he always washes away the thought because it's stupid, Omega would still be the same, robot or not.

"Hi Omega, and Shadow." Tails says, looking to Omega before looking to Shadow. Said hedgehog's eyes narrow when he watches the young fox shift from one foot to the other while glancing nervously over his shoulder. The employee had gone back to stocking shelves nearby, so Shadow pays him no attention.

There's a sharp jab to his side from Rouge as she hisses, "don't be rude! We haven't seen him for years and this is how you act?"

"No, it's fine, really," Tails says with a dismissive wave of the hand. "It's just Shadow being Shadow, that's all."

Out of the corner of his eye, he watches the employee walk into the back room, carrying a small box in his arms. His eyes then quickly narrow as he hears the low hum of a growl, and he can see Rouge beside him angling her large ears in the direction of the backroom.

"So, uh, what's your mission about?" Tails asks a bit too quickly, his two namesakes twisting around anxiously behind him. "Er...if you don't mind me asking, of course."

"Not at all, dear," Rouge says with a smile. "We're tracking a runaway Obexian from a lab just outside the city. Nothing too major, we just gotta capture it and return it to the meeting point H.Q. will give us. It sounds simple, but it's been an absolute _nightmare _trying to track this thing down."

Tails' sky blue eyes widen and his body tenses. Shadow's red eyes dart to the backroom once more, his frown deepening on his muzzle. "Fox, all of the clues we've found so far led us here. Why is that?"

Shadow watches the young fox swallow audibly as he looks away. "Uh, w-well..."

"Oh hon, you're sheltering it, aren't you," it isn't a question, but Rogue doesn't say it unkindly. Her voice is sad and sympathetic, even verging on the tender side as her motherly side comes to light subconsciously. "Tails, they're dangerous. They aren't-they're not themselves anymore. Just let us-"

"It's Sonic."

Shadow's blood runs cold and he _swears _his heart stops. He swallows the lump that forms in his throat and Rouge tenses beside him. The fox in front of them looks away, chewing at his bottom lip as his large ears fold back, eyes misting over with tears.

"Please, I-I just got him back. You can't-you can't take him back, _please_. You don't know-"

"Mission Objective: capture the target and bring him back to the specified location, alive, no matter the obstacles. Miles "Tails" Prower, if you refuse to hand over our target we'll have no choice but to neutralize you. Either by apprehending or by shooting." Omega's chilling voice says in place of Shadow and Rouge, who are struggling to figure out how to handle the situation.

"Omega, don't threaten to shoot him," Rouge scolds, glaring at the robot.

"Apologies."

"Is he back there?" Shadow asks, gesturing with his chin to the back room. It's extremely difficult to keep the shaking from his voice as he tries not to let his emotions get the better of him. He's the Ultimate Lifeform, he isn't supposed to be feeling emotional about all this. It makes him weak, and he was programmed to be everything _but _weak.

"Ye-yeah, but...don't take him away, okay? Please."

Shadow looks to Rouge before nodding. "We just want to asses the situation. We'll go from there."

Tails' eyes linger on the two older mobians before he sighs, suddenly looking a lot older than he already is. He turns and gestures them to follow behind. And, with a deep breath, Shadow follows after the young fox with Rouge beside him while Omega brings up the back.

But nothing could have prepared Shadow for the sight in front of him.

Sonic is sitting upon what appears to be a metal operating table. His fur is a dark navy blue and pale icy blue. His quills are bigger, longer, and travels down his back, growing shorter and shorter until they're barely noticeable towards the base of his longer, more fluffy tail. He has vicious-looking claws that flex against the already scratched metal below. His lip curls back in a snarl revealing sharper than razor teeth. His piercing emerald eyes blaze with an intense defensiveness that Shadow has never seen on his face before.

His eyes widen, surprising chasing away the previous icy look in normally warm emerald irises. And Shadow can't _breathe_. He thought he would never see Sonic again. He thought Sonic was _dead_. But he's here, living and breathing and _alive_ when he should've-when he's _supposed _to be dead.

And it's too much. He can feel the almost painful sting as tears attack his eyes, blurring his vision. His chest constricts and he can feel the uncomfortable prickle in his nose that threatens the appearance of crying. His throat hurts from the lump of emotion that grows in his throat as a response of trying to hold back the inevitable crying fit he's sure to have.

Shadow quickly whirls around and storms out of the room, ignoring Rouge as she calls out after him. He doesn't care, he just wants to be anywhere but _here_.

**XXX**

Everything is frozen, including his mind. He doesn't even think, he _can't_ think as he stares at the open space where Shadow had been standing only moments before. He stares for so long that his eyes start burning from the lack of blinking.

"Shadow, come back!" Rouge calls for the fifth time as she stands in the doorway, her back facing Sonic. Omega stands beside her, but his cold gaze pierces Sonic to the point that it almost physically hurts.

"It's fine," Tails says as Rouge turns back around when Sonic hears the sound of the bell for the third time that day. "Just give him a few minutes, I'm sure he'll be back."

"I know," Rouge then looks to Sonic and gives him a tired smile. "Nice to see ya again, blue. That's some predicament you're in."

Sonic shifts uncomfortably as he finally tears his eyes away from the empty spot where Shadow _should _be. "Oh, y-yeah, I guess. So, the government's after me again?"

"No surprise there," Tails jokes, though his shoulders are very clearly tense while a troubled look storms around in his bright eyes. Sonic wants nothing more than to pull his little brother into a hug right then and there. To protect him from all the worry he shouldn't have to shoulder all by himself. He's still a _kid_, it isn't his job to have these adult responsibilities thrust onto him.

But then he can't help but notice something...different. His eyes drift over to Rouge, eyes narrowing as he inspects everything about her, intent to find the thing that's "off" about her.

She looks older, more mature in the way that she holds herself. She stands taller, less in her trademark "seductive pose" with her body curved in an "S" shape with a hand on her hip. She's still got her smooth curves, plump lips, and voluptuous bust, but she stands in a way that doesn't immediately draw attention to those key features.

Her teal eyes are more knowing, though they still hold that playful glint. Her clothing is also different, surprisingly, since she seemed adamant about wearing catsuits her whole life.

She's wearing a black tube top, though it looks more like a strapless sports bra more than anything. She's wearing baggy gray camo pants with a thin light brown belt wrapped snugly around her waist. She's wearing black boots that look like the child of high heels and army boots. There is a white jacket tied around her waist. And finally, to top it all off, she's wearing white fingerless gloves with gold cuffs. There are purple sapphires equally spaced apart, embedded into the cuffs.

Like Amy, Rouge has changed drastically with her appearance, though unlike Amy, Rouge's personality seems to have stayed mostly the same. But that's not what he's looking for.

There is a certain air of tenderness about her, a renewed lightness and joy and responsibility. There's a certain protective softness, a gentle nurturing aura that clings to every single inch of her body. He can see it in the way she acts around Tails with the sweet smiles and loving gaze. He can see a motherly worry in her eyes for Shadow when he had run off-

And then it hits him. Motherly. He would've never guessed Rouge to be one to settle down with one single person to have a child, but it is what it is. He can't help but wonder who the father is, however.

It isn't Shadow, he showed no loving affection towards Rouge whatsoever beyond the level of friendship. The moody hedgehog had also shown no sign of the loving tenderness that comes with being a father.

Sonic's next guess is Knuckles, but how can a bat and an echidna have babies together? In his experience, mixed species babies don't work out very well. So had she settled for someone else, then? And if so, then who?

"Like what you see?" Rouge asks, rolling her hips with a seductive smile. Some things never change, and Sonic is _sure _that Rouge will never lose that special charm of hers, no matter how many kids she has.

"You're a mother," Sonic says, his gaze unwavering as he stares at Rouge.

Her eyes widen as she looks at Tails who only shrugs. He's just as surprised as Rouge, though Sonic has a feeling the fox had already known about Rouge's baby and he's surprised at the fact Sonic had figured it out so quickly.

"How did you...?" She trails off, but then her eyes grow even bigger, if possible, and a sadness buries deep in her eyes. "O-oh...right."

Sonic frowns, and now it's _his _turn to be confused. He looks over at his just as puzzled little brother, then his eyes narrow as he looks back at Rouge. _'Does she know? But how?' _

"Yes, I'm a mom," Rouge quickly says, changing the subject back to herself. "I have a son, his name is Alabaster. He's about...he'll be three this coming November."

Sonic frowns and looks away, an ear flicking. He knows he shouldn't feel the heart-piercing grief that attacks his chest with a vengeance, and yet he does. The faint cries of infant mewling echo through his ears and he wants to gag at the sudden taste of iron that ghosts over his tastebuds.

They were abominations, every last one. They would've died either way, and he had only been going on animalistic instinct. But the guilt weighs heavy on his shoulders and tears threaten to spill over his eyes.

They had still been _his_, his _babies._ How could he tear them to pieces the way he had? And even though he hadn't known them for even five minutes, he still felt a strong connection to every single one of them. And the grief of losing _all _of his babies is ripping him from the inside out.

"Hey, Tails, why don't we go try and find Shadow," Rouge suggests, and Sonic couldn't have been any more thankful for her trying to give him some time to recollect himself.

"But I thought-"

"He's been gone long enough. Besides, you could use some...well, it isn't _fresh _air, but the air outside is at least a change from the stuffy air in here."

"What about Sonic? I can't-"

"He'll be fine, hun. Omega will still be here, along with that adorable employee of yours."

Sonic, by now has completely turned away from the three in the room. He doesn't want to upset Tails by crying in front of him, and he doesn't want to see Rouge's pitty or be questioned by a curious Omega. Or have the threat of being shot by Omega, either one could very likely happen.

"Alright, but not for too long." Tails finally agrees, and Sonic can feel his gaze burning into his back.

"Sweet. Omega, give him some space, would you hun?" Rouge orders as she guides tails out to the main store area.

"Understood."

Sonic holds his breath, ears listening for everyone to be out of the room. And when he hears the ringing of the bell for the fourth time that day, he finally allows himself to burst into tears.

**XXX**

"Why did you want us to leave when Sonic was clearly upset?" Tails asks, bright eyes staring intensely at Rouge as they head down the sidewalk. They aren't searching for Shadow, Rouge knows, they're just giving Sonic time to recollect himself. Not to mention her presence would only make things worse, seeing as she's a mother and Sonic is very clearly traumatized with what happened with his offsprings.

"Well, you'll know when you have-er...when you're older," she answers, unsure whether she should tell Tails about the offspring experiments with Sonic and some other unknown Obexian. In the end, she deduces that it's Sonic's choice to tell his little brother what happened, not hers.

"But enough about that," Rouge smiles as she claps her hands together, ending all conversation about that subject there. "Tell me about you. How are you holding up after...?"

"Uh...I'm-I'm doing good," he answers, glancing away as he rubs his upper arm uncomfortably. "I've been better though, I'm in a rough patch financially."

"Why'd you choose to move out of Amy's apartment?" Rouge asks curiously, and she can't keep her head from tilting curiously as she looks at the young fox.

Tails fiddles with his hands and looks away. "I just-I didn't want to spend the rest of my life living with Amy. I mean, she's great and all, and I couldn't be any more grateful for what she's done, but...but I thought it was time that I do things on my own. I mean, I'm not a kid anymore and-"

"Let me guess, she was treating you like one?" Rouge sighs, earning a small nod from Tails. "So I take it she hasn't completely gotten over Emilia, huh."

"Yeah."

A heavy silence falls between the two as they continue walking. Rouge suddenly feels much older than she is, like a forty-year-old mom trying and failing to control a hyperactive two-year-old. Except for that "hyperactive two year old" is actually all the whiplash from the different emotions splayed out from the day, all attacking her at once.

"But, I mean, she's doing good in other things," Tails' quiet voice speaks up, causing Rouge to look at him once more.

"Oh yeah?" She asks, an amused smile playing on her plump lips. "Like what?"

"Well, she's got a really good job now. She's the head doctor at the hospital! Though, not too many people live here so they don't get much business, but still. She's good at her job, too. She helped fix up Sonic the night we found, well, the night _he _found _us_."

"Is that so."

"Yep. And her husband works with a repair company. They both fix things, in a sense, though what they fix are two different things."

"I hadn't thought of it like that," Rouge chuckles, ruffling Tails' bangs. "You know, you're as smart as the last time I saw you, kid."

Tails chuckles and playfully swats away Rouge's hand, eyes sparkling with a bright amusement that every kid's eyes should hold. An untouchable innocence, a full-hearted trust set in those they love. And even though Tails is living on his own and supporting himself, he's still just a kid.

"You shouldn't worry too much, Tails," Rouge says lightly as she removes her hand. She stops and turns to face the little fox, shooting him a bright smile. "You're still young, you've got a lot of growing to do. Sure, you're more like an adult than most of us, but you shouldn't have to look out for everyone. Let us grown-ups do that, alright?"

Tails looks away, chewing at his bottom lip while he rubs his upper arm once more. "Do you...do you think Sonic will ever be okay? Mentally, I mean. He seems...pretty messed up with what happened to him."

Rouge hums, tapping her lip in thought as she looks up. "I'm sure he'll be fine, hon. Has he talked to you about any of it?"

"No, he's actually been pretty quiet."

Rouge sighs and rests a hand on Tails' shoulder, though she doesn't let the smile fall from her face. "Talk with him, try to get him to open up but don't push him. I'm sure if he talks about what happened he'll feel better. I'm sure we'll get the ol' blue we know and love back in no time at all. Especially since he has you."

"Thanks, Rouge."

"No problem, hon. Now, should we get back to the workshop? I think we've been out long enough, doncha think?"

Tails smiles, his namesakes lifting as his eyes spark once more. "Yeah."

* * *

**Authors Note: **_hi everyone! I just want to give a quick thanks for the support so far. I know it isn't big, only a few people, but I really do appreciate it. It keeps me going, it makes me want to continue updating because I know people are waiting, I know people are wanting to read more. Sorry for the longer pauses in between, school has been driving me crazy lately (that's mostly on me though because I hate homework but oh well). _

_Also, I saw the Sonic movie! It was awesome! It's officially my favorite movie, passing How to Train Your Dragon (a movie I grew up with mind you). I just love my little blue boy and I'm even more obsessed than ever. I'm thinking about writing a fanfiction for the movie, or maybe just a whole bunch of oneshots shoved into one story? Let me know what you guys would want to see, if anything at all. _

_Anyways, that's all I had to say! Have a good day/night everyone! And please review/follow/favorite, it really means a lot to me and I love reading reviews about what you guys think so far! _

**_P.S.:_**_ no spoilers for the movie! I know I've already seen it, but I also know that a lot of other people haven't. I don't want it spoiled for anyone who wants to look at other people's reviews. So please, no spoilers! _


	13. Chapter 12

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Sonic has been missing for almost six years now. During his absence, corruption has overcome the government, making life a living hell for everyone. It's been the job of everyone else to step up in Sonic's place, to try and save the world with a losing war on their end. But what happens when Sonic suddenly appears out of nowhere, completely different and yet the same? SONILVER._

**Authors Note: **_real quick, I just wanna give a quick apology for this chapter being a little shorter than the previous ones. Hopefully, you guys still like it though! Don't forget to review/favorite/follow, and have a nice day/night! Now, onto the chapter._

**Chapter 12: Plans**

Rouge had been half hoping to find Shadow during her walk with Tails, though she can't be too disappointed when the edge 'hog had been nowhere to be found. Figures, since she knows Shadow most likely wants to be as far away from human civilization right now.

That doesn't mean she isn't a bit irritated. She had been hoping to drag Shadow back with her so they could talk with Sonic about everything that happened on the night of the heist, and maybe where they should go from here, seeing as they obviously can't go through with their mission of dragging Sonic back to the government. Rouge had seen Sonic's face, she'd seen the way he reacted when those memories had returned full force.

Are they willing to take Sonic back? To force him to gain even more of those sick memories that no one should ever be forced to live? Not if Rouge can help it. And hell, she'd fight with all she's got if it meant protecting Sonic's freedom.

Rouge is currently standing alone beside Sonic in the empty back room, unsure of what to say. She wishes she wasn't the only one to talk with the obviously emotional hedgehog, but there's no one else _but _her to do so. Sure, she told Tails to talk with Sonic, but he's too young to know about the genetic experiments forced upon Sonic in the way that they were.

The others left are Omega, who's the least qualified to deal with these things. The employee Rouge vaguely remembers the name of, and Shadow who is still MIA. So, it's up to Rouge to sort these things out, at least a little bit.

Taking a deep breath, Rouge meets Sonic's troubled emerald eyes. "Did...did any of them survive?"

Sonic visibly tenses and looks away, ears lowering as shame crosses his eyes. "No. They-all of them were _sick _and they were abominations. Whichever ones that managed to survive I...I killed them myself."

Rouge's stance slackens and sadness runs in her teal eyes as she steps forward. "Oh hon, you don't mean any of that. I can see it in your eyes."

"Why do I miss them, Rouge?" Sonic asks, his voice sounding so broken while his green eyes are so wide and lost looking that Rouge's heart _aches _at the sight_. "_I-I had no attachment to them, and yet..."

"Sonic, no matter how many times you try telling yourself that, it'll never be true. None of it will be true because you're a _father," _Rouge says, earning a weak scoff from Sonic. "It's true. Sure, there are horrible parents out there, but they'll always have some sort of attachment to their kid. Even if they beat them beyond recognition. And I know you're not like that, which means it hurts a whole hell of a lot more. Because you loved them, even if you k-even if they're gone, you still have those strong paternal instincts every parent has."

"No-"

"Don' try and lie to me, and especially don't try and lie to yourself. I see the way you are around Tails," Rouge lightly scolds, eyes narrowing as she places her hands on her hips. "Trust me, I know. I have a son of my own, and...well, you know. But the reason I'm not driving myself crazy with these instincts is because they're not as strong as yours. Sure, they're still strong, but not to the point where I'm losing my mind, although it can sometimes feel like that."

"What do you mean?" Sonic asks slowly, ignoring Rouge's attempt at lightening the mood with a little joke.

"Well you've had so many and they've all...passed away. The death of a baby is worse than anything I've ever seen. It tears people apart, both inside and out. But even though their child is gone, their paternal instincts aren't, and I think the same is happening with you. You've just had so many where all those instincts have overlapped each other, fighting for some sense of relief. That's why you've been clingy with Tails."

Sonic looks away and flexes his fingers, claws glinting dully in the yellow light above. There's a slight tremble in his shoulders and his voice shakes when he speaks. "Do you think...this'll ever go away? This-this hurt?"

"I can't say, dear. I hope so, I don't want to see you lose your mind over this," Rouge jokes, but there's a seriousness that hardens her eyes, refusing to let the warmth of humor melt away the ice. And yet the forlorn look in Sonic's eyes as he doesn't exactly believe her hurts beyond anything Rouge has ever felt before. And she wants to fix it, oh _chaos _she wants to fix it. She wants to swoop in and hug Sonic until all his hurt goes away because that's what a mother does. One simple, loving touch from just a finger can soften the edge of anyone's misery. It can make their day just a little bit better.

"It'll be okay, blue," she says as she closes the distance between her and the table. She rests a gentle hand on Sonic's fluffy blue shoulder, a tender smile tugging at her lips. "I promise."

* * *

Shadow looks out over the dull, dead city from atop one of the taller buildings. He's sitting on the edge, one knee pulled up to his chest while the other dangles limply over the side. There is a slow, gentle breeze that ruffles his well-groomed fur now and again. It's more on the cold side, but that doesn't bother him.

He doesn't know how long he's been there, and quite frankly, he could care less. All he knows is that the sun had fallen below the horizon long ago, leaving the city painted an almost pitch black. None of the street lamps work, and none of the lights are on in any of the abandoned buildings, so the only light comes from the moon and stars above which are covered mostly by thick smoke clouds.

Shadow nows he should get back to the others, explain everything, but he can't even twitch an _ear _in the direction of Tails' Workshop. He feels ridiculous, but he can't stop the memory of that night from resurfacing again and again.

He had _seen _the scientists operating on Sonic. The hedgehog had looked practically _dead_. They had been torturing him and Shadow had done _nothing _to stop it. He was too _weak_. And in the end, after virtually being torn to shreds by the savage Obexians, _Sonic _had been the one to save the day yet again. He had been _dying_, and yet he had still somehow managed to get all of Team Dark to safety.

And yet, Shadow couldn't even prevent simple _humans _from taking away his rival, his _friend. _

Shadow beats a fist against the concrete roof, a muffled curse sliding past gritted teeth. He squeezes his eyes shut to keep the sting of tears at bay, but that doesn't stop the heavy ache from mutilating his heart.

He's the Ultimate LIfeform for chaos sakes! HE shouldn't be feeling this torn up about something that doesn't even _matter _anymore. But it _does _matter, and the fact that he's weak just pours a whole gallon of salt over his shredded and bleeding heart.

And then there's also the fact that he's supposed to take Sonic _back _to those very humans who tortured him. How is he supposed to do that? He can't defy orders from his commander, but he also can't take Sonic back to those monsters.

"Thought I'd find you up here," a female voice suddenly says. Shadow jumps and quickly whirls around, his whole body painfully tense. Had he dropped his guard so much that Rouge could effectively sneak up on him like that?

Luckily it's only Rouge and not someone else. She raises an amused brow as she walks towards Shadow. "You still moping around?"

Shadow scowls and turns back to look at the city as Rouge plops down beside him. They sit in silence for a while, Rouge childishly kicking her dangling legs out much like a child would do when sitting on a chair too big for them.

"Why'd you leave?" Rouge finally asks, her voice not unkind as her teal eyes look up at the cloudy sky.

Shadow's hands ball into fists and he takes in a slow, deep breath to try and calm his already frayed nerves. He isn't in the mood to get all mushy with Rouge. "I just...I don't know. Don't ask me stupid questions."

"It's not a stupid question, Shadow," Rouge puffs, crossing her arms. "And I know you, something's bothering you. Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"Nothing's-"

"Don't give me that." Rogue narrows her teal eyes at Shadow as the hedgehog meets her eyes. "Shadow, if it was nothing you wouldn't have ran away."

"I didn't run away," Shadow grounds out, looking down at the ground two hundred feet below.

"So then why'd you leave?"

Shadow sighs heavily. "I couldn't...I can't be around Sonic when-after what happened. Seeing him like that, all beat up...I could've prevented it, Rouge. If I had been fast enough, if I had just..._tried harder_ then he wouldn't be like this. The _world _wouldn't be like this."

"You've gotta stop beating yourself up over this, hon," Rouge says, and now it's her turn to sound sad. "We all failed, we all feel guilty. But that shouldn't be the reason you distance yourself from the others, especially Sonic."

Shadow looks to Rouge and then looks away, shoulders slumping. "I...I know. But if I was just _stronger_ then maybe-"

"He thinks you hate him."

Shadow's mouth hangs open and he looks at Rouge once more. "W-what? Why would he...?"

"He wanted me to tell you he's sorry for not being able to help when the other Obexians kicked our asses."

"He doesn't have to be, it wasn't his fault."

"That's what I told him, but he thinks you hate him for it. Called himself weak," Rouge meets Shadow's eye and gives a sad smile. "Reminds me of someone."

Shadow pointedly looks away. "I'll...try to talk with him, I guess. But what about our mission? We can't drag this out forever."

"I was worried you'd bring that up," Rouge grumbles as she runs a hand over her face. "We're not taking him back, we _can't_. We need to-"

"Rouge, I agree with you, but it's the mission. Our _jobs _are at stake."

Rouge pauses, her eyes narrowing. "You can't be serious."

Shadow fidgets uncomfortably under her gaze. "I feel the same way you od, but what else can we do? If we decide to not go through with this, someone else will."

"I guess that's true. But what if we say we found him dead? Bled out from the bullet wound? Or say we had to kill him in defense because he'd gone crazy?"

Shadow grimaces at the picture painted in his mind. He tries to distract himself by looking up at the sick sky, his eyes searching the dark shadowy clouds above.

"It looks like it'll rain soon," Rouge comments, and Shadow opens his mouth to ask what that has anything to do with their current situation, though Rouge beats him to it. "It'll erase all his tracks, preventing anyone from trailing Sonic."

Shadow frowns, looking back to Rouge. An uncertainty washes over his mind. He knows it's useless, G.U.N. will find out one way or another that they lied. They'd most likely be sentenced to death for obstruction of the mission or something, and Sonic will most likely be tracked down and captured once more.

"Shadow, you should've seen him," Rouge says, earning the hard stare from the hedgehog yet again. "He was-he's got some problems. Do you remember those pictures? From the file?"

Shadow regretfully nods, swallowing thickly.

"Well, those were _his. _I mean, obviously they were, but still. He figured out I'm a mom just by instinct alone. His body is confused. He's going crazy from all his parental hormones caused by all those litters. I can't even _begin _to try and think about all the other stuff he's dealing with from those scientists."

"Right, so then what do we do?"

A mischevious glint paints Rouge's eyes and dread immediately fills his stomach as she begins explaining her crazy, way too long, plan.

_'Chaos help me.' _

* * *

It's only been almost two days since they were all forced to flee, and yet Silver feels like he's going crazy. The cut on Sally's arm had gone deeper than anyone had expected. It had cut to the bone, damaging veins and nerves in the process. How she's still alive and not dead on the battlefield, bled out, will forever be a mystery to the metallic colored hedgie.

Seeing as Sally is now forced on bed rest to heal, Silver has been the one to lead the Freedom Fighters in her place. And even with the help of his friends, it's only been a nightmare.

He's had to try and map out the safest place to go but nearly everywhere has been overrun by the government. They had been able to drop off some of the normal civilians they've saved at other bases, but there was only so much they could take in.

Silver has also had to make plans on how to get supplies, which is his job normally, but with everything else, it just feels overwhelming. Food, medical supplies, even water is difficult to get without the risk of being swarmed by the government.

He's currently laying on some of the few stacked crates, the little recourses they have left. One arm is draped over his closed eyes while the other is over his stomach. His head is currently pounding painfully with a headache. Or has it turned into a migraine?

"You look half dead," a voice says and silver immediately sits up, forcing back a yawn as he does so. His eyes lock on Tangle who's standing not too far away, rocking on the balls of her feet. There's a toothy smile plastered on her face, but it's drowned out by the exhaustion in her eyes.

"I could say the same thing for you," Silver jokes lightly as he slowly sits up, his aching muscles screaming in protest. "Sorry, I was just...thinking."

"Sure you were," Tangle chuckles and shakes her head. "Don't worry about it, future boy. Anyways, find anywhere to land yet?"

Silver sighs and shakes his head. "Not yet, I can't find anywhere that'll be safe enough to hide out for even a few _days, _let alone a place safe enough for a new base."

"Hey, that kinda rhymed. Place? Base?" Tangle says, purple eyes expectant. Silver only shrugs, gold eyes glancing away. "Yeah, rhyming is overrated anyways."

"Tangle, am I a good leader?" Silver asks slowly, looking back to the lemur. HIs gold eyes are hopeful, though he can't help but worry about the answer. What if he's doing everything wrong? What if he's forgetting something important? What if he's doing the wrong thing entirely?

"Are you kidding?" Tangle asks, eyes wide. "You're one of the best leaders I've ever met! I mean, I've only been led by a few people like Amy, Tails, even Knuckles-how weird that sounds-but you're one of the best! You're super friendly, you make sure everyone is cared for, hell you're going through space and _beyond _just to find the perfect place to build a new base!"

Silver's heart swells and he can't help but let a huge smile grow on his face. "Thank you, Tangle. You have no idea how much I've been needing to hear those words."

"No problem, my dude," Tangle smiles. "Now, onto what I came to talk to you about in the first place."

Silver leans forwards, ears perking with interest. "Go on."

"Impatient, are we?" Tangle jokes and Silver is sure she would've jabbed his side had he been standing by her. "Anyways, I was talking with Whisper and the others and came up with the best idea. Why don't we ask some of our friends to take us in? At least until the hype dies down and the government forgets about us again."

Silver's eyes widen and a lightness fills his chest. He quickly stands and jumps down from the crates, landing smoothly beside Tangle. "That's a brilliant idea! I should've thought of it sooner!"

He quickly wraps his arms around Tangle and pulls her into a tight hug. He can feel her tense with surprise, but only for a moment as she hugs him back. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Tangle says, sounding slightly winded as Silver lets go. The two smile brightly, Silver's eyes gleaming as bright as the sun during the sunset. "Now go do your thing, Mr. Amazing Leader 'hog."

"See you later. Oh! And tell the others I said thanks!" Silver calls as he runs off, waving to Tangle as he does so.

He leaves a really excited Tangle behind, with a few surprised and even startled bystanders watching after him.

This is the lightest Silver has ever felt in _months_.


	14. Chapter 13

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Sonic has been missing for almost six years now. During his absence, corruption has overcome the government, making life a living hell for everyone. It's been the job of everyone else to step up in Sonic's place, to try and save the world with a losing war on their end. But what happens when Sonic suddenly appears out of nowhere, completely different and yet the same? SONILVER._

**Chapter 13: I Could Never Hate You**

"Are you gonna go visit them?"

"For the last time, Noah, I said I don't want anything to do with them right now and that's that! I've helped them enough anyways. Now they're on their own." Amy's wary green eyes watch as the male paces back and forth in their small living room. His arms are held stiffly behind his back while hazel eyes dart up to look at the pink female every so often.

He's pacing back and forth in front of the old square TV. The run-down coffee table sits between the two, like a barrier that would be completely useless against any and every attack, like the crumbling outer walls of a castle. Not that Amy's worried about Noah attacking her. Though, it's the arguments between them she has to look out for. Both of them can get carried away and say things they don't mean.

"What's this all about?" Noah suddenly asks, coming to a stop directly across from Amy. She watches uninterested as he fiddles with the rusted silver wedding ring around his finger. "Are you purposefully distancing yourself because you still have feelings for him?"

"What? Of course not!" Amy exclaims, angry he would ever suspect her of such a thing. She sits up straight, eyes narrowing. "We're married, Noah. Of course I don't love him anymore. And for good reason, too. He fucking left us to rot here, how could I still like him after that? Besides, he's one of those monsters now."

"Okay. Is it because he loves you, then?" Noah asks, leaning forwards. "If you want I can go over there and-"

"No, you will do nothing of the sort." Amy snaps as she crosses her arms. "I don't think he likes me. I almost killed him, so any lingering lovey-dovey feelings are probably gone. Besides, I don't want you to start a fight at Tails' place."

Noah frowns, standing tall once more. His eyes dart away and he rubs his light brown muzzle in thought. "Are you guilty? For almost killing him, I mean."

"Why would I be? He's an Obexian now, those things are cold-blooded killers. Besides, like I said before, he _abandoned _us." Amy sighs, leaning back against the couch. She can't help but feel how untrue that is in her heart, no matter how desperately she tries to believe it.

She wants to hate Sonic. To hate him for the rest of her life because he left, abandoned them, forced them to be on their own. He hadn't come to save the day when the world had grown sick with corruption. He hadn't been there to protect her when he said he would.

Now she knows why he'd disappeared, why he hadn't come back. He _couldn't _have come back, he had been stuck in a lab, forced to be a lab rat to disgusting scientists who don't care about who they hurt as long as they get the results they want.

"Hey, you have all the right to hate him," Noah says, silky voice gentle as he walks around the coffee table. He sits down on the worn couch and throws an arm over Amy's tense shoulders.

The female leans against his side, soaking up his warmth as she cuddles against soft dark brown fur. She traces the black splotch of fur on his hip, counting and recounting the black speckles spreading out from it.

"I'm sorry," Amy sighs, her hand coming to a stop as she looks up. Forest green eyes meet hazel as the two gazed at one another, noses just inches away from touching. "It's just been a rough week."

"I understand," Noah smiles, gently rubbing a thumb over Amy's slim shoulder. "Even when we're shouting at each other over the dumbest things, I could never truly be mad at you. I love you too much."

"That sounded really cheesy," Amy giggles, leaning forwards to place a quick kiss on light-brown lips.

"As cheesy as my famous homemade pizza you love so much?" He asks while a lazy smile resting on his face.

"Noah! Stop with your lousy jokes already," Amy exclaims playfully as she pulls away while simultaneously pushing Noah.

He doesn't let her get away, however. Amy moves to stand, but then brown arms snake around her waist. Shes swiftly pulled back and she allows herself to dramatically fall back against Noah's chest.

"Oof," he huffs, having not expected that. "Not fair!"

"There are no rules, so it is fair." Amy purs, twisting so she's straddling Noah's hips.

"No rules...to what?" He asks slowly, his voice taking on a more husky tone as he rests a finger against Amy's collar bone.

It sends delightful shivers up her spine, causing her back to arch as Noah slowly drags his finger down her chest. A moan escapes when he carefully cups one of her breasts, hazel eyes bright with lust.

Amy leans forwards and practically smashes her lips against Noah's. Her tongue darts out past soft lips, eagerly licking against equally soft brown lips.

Noah immediately parts his lips and their tongues are interlocked in a battle of dominance. Amy moans as she takes in his taste, absorbing it through her tastebuds as she presses her petite body against the strong chest of her husband. It feels like they were sculpted perfectly together, and Amy loves every bit of the sensation.

And then his hands come to rest at her hips, fingers slowly rubbing circles over the cloth of her black tank top. His hands then begin to slowly travel to the small over back, then come to rest over her firm buttocks.

Amy gasps, eyes rolling back with pleasure as Noah begins to massage her. But she also leaves herself open, her tongue stalling with another moan. And the boar takes his opening without hesitation. His tongue digs its way into Amy's mouth and wastes no time exploring, reclaiming his territory forever bound to his overexcited organ.

It feels like her mouth is on fire with the taste of Noah, her tongue longing for every inch of his. Every touch leaves sparks prickling against her skin, the warmth burning through her clothes.

His hand quickly untucks her tank top from her pants. She gasps as one of his warm hands rests against her flat, toned stomach. Her back arches once more as his hand slowly travels up, fingers brushing against the band of her bra.

The shrill ring of a phone draws up a growl of annoyance from the male as the two reluctantly part, a trail of saliva following their tongues.

Her mouth is left feeling strangely cold, empty. Her tongue doesn't know what to do anymore now that the fun is gone, so she licks at the saliva on her lush lips, a pleading look dancing on her face as she places her hands against Noah's broad chest.

"Can't we ignore it?" She asks, leaning forwards. She nips lightly at his neck while simultaneously grinding her hips over Noah's own.

"What if it's important?" She moans back, tilting Ay's head so he can nip at her neck in turn.

Amy sighs, pulling away as Noah removes his hand from under her shirt. "Alright, fine. But we'll finish this later."

"Sure thing," Noah hums, smiling lazily as Amy removes herself from his lap.

She takes a deep breath to try and calm the heat washing through her body. She walks over to the phone nailed to the kitchen wall, overexaggerating the say of her hips as she does so.

"No fair," she hears Noah moan, and she can't help but shoot a mischievous smile over her shoulder as she answers the phone. "Hello? This is Amy Rose, who is this?"

"Amy! For a second I thought no one would answer," a familiar male voice says on the other line.

"Silver?" Amy asks, eyes wide with surprise as she looks back to Noah. All feelings of their previous actions are gone, replaced with surprised curiosity. "We haven't spoken in forever! How are you?"

"Um, I could be better," he replies, sounding more on the nervous side now. "A lot's happened and I don't have the time to go over it all right now."

"Okay, so then why'd you call?" Amy asks, shifting her weight to the other foot.

"Do you-are there, um, any government soldiers roaming around where you are, by chance?"

"Not that I'm aware of. It's a pretty empty city now, barely anyone lives here." Amy replies, a pang of longing flooding her chest. This was one of the first major cities hit by corruption. Whatever the government didn't overrun was destroyed by citizens going on strike.

There's a heavy sigh of relief on the other end of the line. "Thank chaos! I've been trying to find a safe place for _days _now."

"Wait, what happened?" Amy quickly asks, her alarm rising as she perks up. Behind her, she hears Noah shift on the couch, probably just as curious.

"Well, long story short the Freedom Fighters have to hide under the radar for a little bit because we lost another battle to the government." Silver explains, though his voice grows quiet. "Do you have anywhere we could stay?"

Amy sighs and looks up in thought. She taps a finger against her lips, wracking her brain for a place safe enough yet big enough to hold a huge group of mobians.

"Maybe the city capital?" She finally suggests, looking over her shoulder at Noah who shrugs cluelessly. "It's pretty big, and no one has used it for years now."

"That sounds great, thank you, Amy," Silver says and Amy can practically _hear _the smile that's most likely on his face. "Seriously, I don't know _what _I would ever do without you."

"Don't mention it, you know I'd do anything for a friend," Amy smiles, twirling the phone chord with an index finger.

"I better get the others ready, then. We're at least a few days away from your city, even though we're in an aircraft."

Amy chuckles. "Right, well, talk to you later, Silver. Tell Sally I said hi for me."

"And tell whoever's still in the city that I'm stopping by."

Amy frowns, an ear flicking at the realization. She couldn't just not tell the others Silver and some of the Freedom Fighters are stopping by, no matter how much she wants to avoid Tails' Workshop for the time being. At least until Sonic leaves again.

"Amy?" Silver asks, sounding worried. "You still there?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I just got lost in thought. I'll make sure to tell them tomorrow, it's late," Amy replies, looking back at Noah. "See you soon. Bye."

Amy then hangs up and turns, making her way back to the couch where Noah is still sitting.

"So?" He asks as she sits beside him with a huff. "I take it that was Silver? I mean, if you saying his name a few times didn't give it away."

"Yeah. You remember him, right?" Amy asks, leaning against the couch. "Silver hedgehog? Kinda naive-"

"Oh, the kid?" Noah asks, smiling at Amy's eye roll.

"He's our age."

"Really? Could've fooled me."

"Give him a break, he's not _that _bad," Amy argues lightly, tapping Noah on his arm.

"Alright, alright. What about him?" Noah chuckles, patting Amy's knee as a peace offering.

She huffs, though she can't keep the playful smile off her face as she says, "he wanted a safe place to stay so I invited him and the rest of the Freedom Fighters to live with us."

"Really?" Noah shakes his head. "I could've sword I heard something about the city capital."

"You probably heard wrong."

"Maybe I should get my hearing checked."

"Maybe."

Amy's grin grows wider as Noah scoffs and shakes his head. She takes his hand in her own and lifts it to brush a sweet kiss against his knuckles. "They're gonna take shelter at the city square. They lost a battle in their area and need to lay low for a bit."

"Do your other friends know? Like-"

"I'll tell them tomorrow. It's been a long day," Amy says quietly before turning to Noah. She drapes a leg over his and says, "besides, I want to finish what we started."

Noah couldn't have looked happier.

* * *

"Um...Sonic?" Tails asks, voice hesitant as he works on carefully removing the bandages. Sonic quirks an eyebrow, his tired emerald eyes meeting sky blue. "Are you-um, are you okay?"

Sonic frowns and shifts, despite how many times Tails has told him to sit still. "Where's this coming from, little buddy?"

Tails looks away and chews on his bottom lip, hands halting in their task of removing the bandages. "You-uhm...you seemed pretty upset today."

Sonic sighs quietly and looks up at the ceiling. "Yeah, I guess. You don't have to worry about me, I-"

"I know you, You can't try to play it off." Tails mumbles, looking up at Sonic. "Do you maybe wanna talk about it?"

"I said I'm fine, Tails." Sonic snaps a bit harshly as he turns narrowed eyes on his little brother. "You don't have to worry, it isn't your job."

"You're not okay, though," Tails shoots back, hands balling into fists as his arms drop to his sides. "You've been defensive, even around me. You're clingy, Rouge makes you uncomfortable, you hate humans, there's obviously stuff you need to work out with Shadow, and You tried to attack Omega when I was just giving him an upgrade."

Sonic sits up, ignoring the stinging pain from his barely functional body. He leans forwards, ears pinned against his head as he locks eyes with Tails. IT's a staring contest between the two predators, neither willing to submit to the other. A staring contest would be okay, except it isn't any simple run of the mill contest.

Sonic's lip slowly curls back and his sharp teeth glisten brightly in the yellow light. His quills raise and his fur stands on end while he flexes his claws. A low animalistic growl vibrates deep in his chest. He hates this feeling taking over. He hates the sick images flashing in his mind of tails' throat crushed between powerful jaws.

But he can't stop it. Something has wormed its way into his brain, staining it a sick, inky green that spreads over his body. It controls his nerves, his every movement. IT controls his ming, forcing the bloodlust that growls hungrily in his stomach.

And that one thought brings his conscious back. His eyes widen and he immediately closes his jaw, though he hadn't realized he had opened it. He feels sick. He had just wanted to _slaughter Tails, _his _brother_. And what's worse, the sick animal inside had wanted to devour every last inch of meat from the little fox's bones until all that's left is the skeleton of what used to be Tails.

And then, emerald eyes finally register Tails' horrified face. Huge blue eyes swimming with fear, his shaking body which is cowering away from Sonic. Even his twin namesakes are tucked between his legs, puffed up twice their size. There's wetness around his eyes as tears slowly leak down his cheeks.

"Oh my god..." Sonic manages to breathe out, reeling as he stares down at his hands. "I almost-I was-Tails I'm-I'm so sorry. I didn't-I didn't mean..."

He covers his face with his hands, claws digging into the fur atop his head. He curls in on himself, ignoring the screaming from the wound on his side as he pulls a few stitches.

His whole body is a shaking mess. It's like two continents are at war inside his very body, creating the worst earthquake in Earth's history right inside his very being.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Sonic chokes out over and over and over again. He's hysterical, his throat burning as he sobs uncontrollably. He can't handle the thought that he almost _killed _Tails. And all because he didn't want to talk about his stupid feelings.

But then there's the warmth of small arms wrapping around him, hugging him tightly. It washes over the cold bitterness of his instincts left in his heart, the disgusting feeling at what he had almost done. And he cries, even more, wrapping his own arms around Tails' little body.

The young fox does his best to comfort Sonic by whispering hushed words of "it's okay's" and "you're okay's". It doesn't work out very well, seeing as he's crying just as hard as Sonic is.

It takes a long time for the two of them to finally calm down again. Sonic remains silent, watching with dead eyes as Tails works on removing the rest of the bandages that had been ignored during the whole ordeal.

"I'm sorry," Tails says, grimacing at the small blood tracks leaking from the few pulled stitches. "For trying to pry, I mean. You don't have to talk about anything that happened if you don't want to."

Sonic watches tiredly as Tails works diligently as he tends to Sonic's wound. He cleans up the blood around it, then cleans it with alcohol which earns a sharp, quiet hiss from Sonic. He then digs out a hooked needle and surgical thread to restitch the wound closed.

"I was wanting to tell you something that happened while you what gone, but I never got the chance," Tails says, pinching the wound shut. He inserts the needle into Sonic's skin, though the mutated hedgehog doesn't miss the light biting of the fox's lip as he focuses on the task at hand. "I guess it's now or never, huh?"

"Tails, if it's something-"

"I tried to kill myself."

Any icy silence falls over the two as the words sink in. Sonic's eyes widen as he stares at his brother, mouth agape. "Why? I didn't think-how...I mean..."

"I was just so _tired _of losing all the time," Tails says, pulling the thread over the wound. Compared to everything else Sonic's been through, this just feels like an ant crawling over his skin. "I had just lost our house, and it was the last night I had left to live there before I was kicked out. So, I found some old pills in the cupboard and took all of them."

Sonic stays silent, though his eyes glisten with unshed tears. Had the kit been beaten down that much to a pint where he would try to take his own life? Never in a million years would Sonic had guessed Tails to feel so miserable to the point he'd want to take his own life.

"Luckily the others found me before any real damage could've been done," Tails continues as he finishes up with the stitches. He then takes the bandages and gauze and starts to patch up Sonic once more. "I lived with Amy for a little while after I was discharged from the hospital."

"Tails-"

"I'm fine now," Tails smiles as he carefully wraps the gauze around the bandages over Sonic's torso. "I just thought I should tell you myself instead of you accidentally hearing it from one of the others."

"Did you try to kill yourself because of me?" Sonic asks slowly, looking down at his lap. He's scared that Tails would blame him, scared that the fox would hate him for being gone for almost six years. He couldn't blame him, of course, but that doesn't mean it would hurt any less.

"Of course not!" Tails exclaims, sounding somewhat angry. "Sonic, how could I blame you for _my _actions? Of course it wasn't your fault! It's the stupid government for allowing itself to get corrupt. Besides, I already said I never _ever _hated you for disappearing."

"But if I wasn't gone then the government-"

"Sonic, are you the government?"

"What? No, but-"

"Are you responsible for all those people?"

"In a sense I a-"

"Are you responsible for all those people?" Tails repeats patiently, his eyes never leaving Sonic.

Sonic reluctantly meets Tails' eyes, fiddling with his hands. He answers quietly as if the very word hurts him physically to say. "No."

"So then it isn't your fault. DO you save the world? Yeah. Do you help people? Definitely. But you're only one person, you can't always be there when the world needs saving."

Tails finishes wrapping up the rest of Sonic's wounds. He finally cleans up and yawns, stretching his arms over his head. "It's pretty late, we should try to get some sleep."

"Tails?" Sonic asks, and now it's his turn to be hesitant. He fiddles with the IV line still in his arm while Tails waits patiently for his big brother to speak. "I just-um...thanks. For everything. For not giving up on me and not hating me."

"I could never hate you, not after everything you've done for me," Tails smiles as the two share a hug once more.

"You're the best little bro'."

"And you're the best big bro'."

The two then part and Tails rubs a tear from the corner of his eye, sniffing as he does so.

"Now, get to bed before I ground you," Sonic teases, smiling at the way Tails' eyes light up once more.

"Who's the one taking care of who now?" Tails asks, though he still takes the dirtied apron off from around his waist. "See you in the morning, Sonic."

"Yeah, you too."


	15. Chapter 14

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Sonic has been missing for almost six years now. During his absence, corruption has overcome the government, making life a living hell for everyone. It's been the job of everyone else to step up in Sonic's place, to try and save the world with a losing war on their end. But what happens when Sonic suddenly appears out of nowhere, completely different and yet the same? SONILVER._

**Chapter 14: Surprise Visit**

Shadow and the rest of Team Dark arrive at Tails' Workshop early the next morning. It had rained again the night before, meaning it would be more believable that they'd lost the trail on Sonic if anyone were to ask. Surprisingly, no one has checked in on the progress of the group yet, much to Shadow's relief. He doesn't know what he'd tell them if they did ask.

Kylo is already working. Wondering around the workshop, tending to anything messy and sorting out the cash register. He gives a quick hello to the group as they pass to head into the back room where they find Tails and Sonic. The scene is rather lighthearted, to say the least.

Sonic's legs are currently hanging over the edge of the table, ears flicking irritably. He looks less than amused as he glares at Tails, though emerald irises hold no real malice towards his younger brother.

Tails' back is facing the group, tough Shadow can still make out how exasperated the young kit is by the way his twin namesakes twist around one another. Shadow is somewhat curious as to how the appendages haven't knotted themselves up yet.

"Do you want to reopen your wounds?" Tails asks, hands sitting on his hips as he stands at his full height, which isn't very tall, especially since Sonic is still sitting on top of the table.

"Tails, I told you last night not to worry. I'm fine!" Sonic exclaims, holding his arms out though he quickly hisses in pain as he grips his bandaged side.

"Sonic!"

IT's at that point when Shadow clears his throat to announce their presence.

"Oh, hi guys," Sonic says with a quick wave. Shadow doesn't miss the slight shifting of nervousness.

"I thought you guys were heading back to Metropolis," Tails says as he turns, raising a brow. "Also, it's still early and we're closed right now. How'd you get in?"

"That little assistance of yours is a real sweetheart," Rouge places a hand on her hip and gives a toothy grin. "He let us in."

"I'll have to talk about this with him. _Again._" Tails sighs, pinching the bridge of his muzzle.

"We still have some business here," Shadow adds, crossing his arms. He avoids looking at Sonic and instead focuses his gaze on the ceiling. He can see Rouge shake her head beside him, but at the moment he doesn't want to go through the trouble of bringing himself to care enough about her disappointment.

"You decide if you're taking me in?" Sonic asks, the lightness in his voice falling. Emerald eyes harden and his quills slightly bristle. "Just so you know, I won't go down without a fight."

"A fight it will be, then," Omega says as he draws his guns, aiming squarely at Sonic. "Prepare to-"

"No! For the love of chaos, we talking about this!" Rouge shouts, moving to stand in front of Omega. "No one will be shooting anyone!"

"Tell that to the bastard that shot me," Sonic growls out, shifting once more as he gingerly rubs his bandaged side with a small grimace twisting on his muzzle.

"Okay, let's all tone down a bit," Tails says, holding his hands up. "Um, there's a bakery a few blocks over-"

"Oh! That's the one we passed," Rouge says, turning to face Tails again. She then smiles sheepishly and rubs the back of her head while saying, "Sorry hon, go on."

"I could give you money to go down and get some. I don't have any food here."

"No need to pay us," Rouge smile. "With us being secret agents and all we have the money to buy a few muffins or cupcakes for our friends without having to worry about spending too much. Even if we are mobians."

"What about chilidogs? I haven't had one in _years_!" Sonic exclaims, rubbing his stomach. Shadow's surprised he isn't drooling right then and there at the very thought of the less than appetizing food. Seriously, what's so nice about slopping some chili on top of a hotdog?

"It's a bakery," Shadow all but snaps, unable to stop himself. He's still refusing to meet Sonic's eyes. "I highly doubt they sell that stuff you call food."

Sonic mock gasps, eyes growing wide. This time Shadow is forced to look him in the face as Sonic pouts. "How _dare _you! You'll pay for that, Shadow!"

"Nice to see you're feeling better, Blue," Rouge muses with a fond smile. "At this rate, you'll be your good ol' self in no time."

"Not if I don't get a chilidog."

"And I'll take my cue to leave. Let's go, Omega!" Rouge turns and practically skips out the door, Omega following obediently behind.

An uncomfortable silence falls between the remaining three anthros as they shift uncomfortably. Shadow desperately wishes he could say something, or better yet have one of the other two say something to lighten the mood.

Luckily, Tails is the one to break the silence, but Shadow immediately regrets his wishful thinking as the fox says, "I'm gonna let you guys talk, you need to."

"Tails, wait!" Sonic shouts, reaching out and grasping at the empty air as the fox makes his quick retreat to the open doorway. "I swear if you don't come back here-"

"Have fun!" And with that, Tails ducks out of the back room.

Shadow's stomach immediately drops as blood-red eyes lock with nervous emerald. What is he supposed to say? What are they even supposed to talk about? Shadow knows this is his chance to tie up some loose ends, like Rouge and Tails probably want him to, but he just can't find the right words. HE can't even think straight.

Luckily enough, Sonic is the first to break the silence. "Do you...hate me?"

Shadow balks. He shouldn't be surprised, Rouge told him about this, but still. "No, of course, I don't hate you. Despite how annoying you can be."

"I'm sorry for what happened in the lab during your...heist thing. The big boss man was probably pretty ticked off that you failed in doing whatever you were supposed to do."

"None of it was your fault," Shadow mumbles, looking away as he leans back against the wall. "If anything it's my fault for not being strong enough to save you."

Sonic is silent for a moment. Shadow's red eyes are unwavering as the other male looks down at his lap, ears lowering. "But-I mean, there was an opening for me to escape. Your backup was one the way, I could've moved us all to a better hiding spot. But I didn't. I was-"

"Sonic, you're the one that was being tortured, it wasn't your job to have to save us in the first place. We should've been saving you."

"I didn't want to put you three in danger. I wanted to find a way to escape on my own, without-without the fear of endangering any of my friends."

"Look at us," Shadow sighs, leaning his head back to stare up at the ceiling. The contempt couldn't be any clearer in his voice as he says, "we're reduced to sniveling infants blaming no one but ourselves for who did what."

A bitter chuckle from Sonic earns Shaddow's crimson gaze once more. It doesn't reach Sonic's eyes, and the forced smile on his face quickly falls as a dry sob escapes his clenched teeth. "What the hell happened to us?"

"Humans," Shadow spits out, anger bubbling in his chest at the very thought of their furless faces. "They destroyed this world like I knew they would."

"I wonder if any of it was worth it," Sonic half muses, though his voice sounds flat and dead. Almost like a corpse, and his dull eyes are no better as they practically stare holes through Shadow.

Shadow clears his throat to distract himself from the thought. "What was worth it?"

"Any of it. Like, saving the world or helping out with things around the cities." Sonic shifts, gaze falling to his hands. "I mean, the world still ended up destroyed anyways. At least it wouldn't have hurt so much if I had let him take over the world in the beginning."

"Eggman?" Shadow frowns, keen eyes picking up the minuscule tensing of Sonic's body.

"Yeah."

"Sonic, you have to remember not everyone is bad, however hard that may be. Most of the people you saved, hell, probably _all _of the people you saved most likely got their shit together. I know I sure did. You gave everyone a _good _outlook on life, you kept them going. If I'm not proof of that then I don't know what is."

Shadow shifts, his tongue burning with each word. He means it, of course, but it practically _scalds _him to say it. He's never been one to deal with emotions or pep talks. Hell, he can't even handle his _own _problems, let alone someone else's. Especially Sonic's problems.

The older male opens his mouth to say more, maybe slap Sonic if he doesn't stop being so melodramatic, but the door opening catches both their attention, ruining the moment. It's mildly infuriating, though Shadow welcomes the excuse to free him of this more or less embarrassing situation he's in.

He sees Sonic perk up at the sound of the bell, and Shadow turns to look out at the main part of the building. His eyes immediately fall on the familiar pink quills of none other than Amy Rose herself.

"Amy?" He hears Tails ask, and Shadow doesn't miss the alarm in his voice as the fox meets her at the door. "What are you doing here? I thought you said-"

"And that still stands," she all but snaps, her voice cold and unfeeling as hse crosses her arms. "I'm just here to tell you-wait, is that _Shadow_?"

Shadow instinctively tenses and pushes off the wall, though he keeps his arms crossed. He's never really been fond of Amy. She's always been too loud and bright, even compared to Sonic. But Shadow finds himself liking that version more than this cold, unfeeling person before him.

"Amy Rose," Shadow dips his head in greeting, an ear flicking. "I see you're well."

"Likewise," Shadow can't read her eyes, though he can hear the disdain in her voice clear as the sky on a bright summer day. "What brings you here? You on one of your...Sonic expeditions? Or should I call them fantasies?"

"Amy, that's not fair," Tails mumbles, shooting Shadow a helpless look as he chews at his lip. "Besides, it wasn't a fantasy, or whatever, because Sonic's here now."

"Sure he is," she rolls her eyes, arms remaining crossed.

"Is there something I'm missing?" Shadow asks, feeling the hostility in the room rise with every second Amy's here. Why wouldn't she believe Sonic's here? She helped Tails patch him up, right? At least, Shadow remembers Tails telling them that.

"A long story that you never stay long enough to hear," Amy practically hisses, forest green eyes turning to glare pointedly at Shadow. "You know, I've been wondering what brings you here to our happy little city? Hm? You've never seemed to care before-"

"That's not true-" Tails tries, though Amy refuses to be stopped in her verbal tirade as she talks over the young kit like he isn't even there.

"So why are you here? Looking to use one of us in those G.U.N. missions of yours?" Amy now moves her hands to her hips and a sickly sweet smile hints at her teeth as she slightly leans forwards.

"No, why would I do that?" Shadow grounds out, his quills bristling with agitation. Behind him, he can hear a quiet growl from Sonic, though he doesn't look back at him. He doesn't want Amy verbally attacking him as well, that's the last thing Sonic needs in order to hopefully recover completely, both mentally and physically.

"Oh, surprising, seeing as you're siding with the very humans wanting to tear us apart."

"We're not-"

"Oh, right," Amy turns her eyes to Kylo who is now standing beside Tails. "I forgot some of you are still playing hero with your failed idols."

"That's enough," Shadow snaps, uncrossing his arms as he steps forwards. "If all you want to do is start fights then you can leave."

"That's a lot, coming from you. And the words "fight" and "fact" are both different things. But I guess your pitiful coping mechanism won't allow you to see that."

"Amy, what is going on?" Tails asks, half moving between Amy and Shadow should a fight break out. "Why are you acting like this? I mean, I know you're mad about Sonic-"

"Why?" She repeats, disbelief playing in her eyes before she glares at Shadow once more. "How could you just-just let him in? After years of _nothing_. I mean, I kinda see you letting that monster in, but Shadow? Seriously? He's the _Ultimate Lifeform_ but he can't even protect his friends."

"Amy-" Tails tries, though Amy shakes her head, eyes hardening.

"No, Tails! I'm serious. How can we even _trust _him when he failed to bring Sonic back home? And then he let his friend, his _sister _die right in front of him without even doing anything! And now-"

"Leave."

Amy blinks, mouth hanging open midsentence as she stares at Shadow. His heart races with the unwanted memories burning behind his eyes, making him sick to his stomach. His hands are balled into fists and it's taking everything he has to not stab a chaos spear right through her eyes.

"You just don't wanna face the-"

"I said get the fuck out before I rip off all your fingers and shove them down your throat."

"Ooh, look at Shadow using his big boy words," Amy practically purrs, smirking.

"Amy, I swear to chaos if you don't leave I'll kill you," Shadow growls darkly, staring at the space pas her shoulder. He doesn't even trust himself to look at her without losing his shit right then and there.

"Is that a threat?" She asks, almost amused. "Just like you to kill one of your fr-"

"You're _not _my friend, you're not even my acquaintance_._"

"Guys, stop, please!" Tails shout, holding his hands out. "I just got his place cleaned up, and I don't like seeing my friends fighting."

"Shut it, tails. If you can't tell, I'm watching Shadow throw his tantrum-"

"Chaos Spear!" Shadow gives no warning as the chaos charged attack is thrown at Amy. She's barely given enough of a chance to avoid the attack as she twists to the side.

"That all-"

"You're fucking dead, bitch!"

Shadow shoots forwards, swerving so as not to run straight into Tails who pulls away from him. He draws back his arm and aims a bone-crushing punch straight at Amy's light cream muzzle. She ducks and delivers a swift punch to Shadow's sternum in response.

He gasps, recoiling, though he recovers quickly enough to catch the roundhouse kick Amy has aimed at his throat. Shadow uses Amy's light weight o his advantage and quickly swings her around in a huge arc, then used the momentum to throw her into the nearby shelves.

"Oh come on! Seriously?" Tails shouts, throwing his hands up while his fur bristles with anger. Kylo looks just as annoyed as he stands behind the kit, though the fear in his eyes is more prominent as he watches the two mobians face off against one another.

Shadow remains standing, narrowed eyes watching as Amy pushes the boxes and shelves off her as she stands, cracking her knuckles.

"It would be in your best interest to leave-"

"Shut the hell up! You've _really_ pissed me off and I've had it up to here with your bullshit," Amy hisses. She holds out her hand and in a puff of pink smoke, her piko-piko hammer appears. Her fingers easily curl around the torn black foam handle and she gives a few experimental swings. Then she charges.

Shadow dodges to the side and, with his hand already charged with more powerful chaos energy, grips Amy's upper arm while shouting, "Chaos Burn!"

Amy screams as the raw energy burns through her tender skin, singing the light-colored fur around it. Shadow releases her after a few seconds and the two jump away, glaring acid daggers at one another. If looks could kill, they wouldn't even be a pile of _ash. _They'd be completely vaporized with how much hate is coursing through their very eyes alone.

During the small pause, Shadow notes both Tails and Kylo standing on the sidelines, both having mixed emotions. Kylo looks scared beyond hell, with how wide his eyes are and how badly he's shaking. Tails looks more than pissed and Shadow doesn't doubt he'd step in to stop it had he been better prepared.

Shadow is the first to charge this time, taking Amy by surprise. He delivers a quick blow to her stomach with a nicely aimed punch, then he drops to a crouch and kicks her legs from under her.

Amy falls with a startled yelp, though she lashes out at Shadow with her hammer. She manages to bash the handle across his cheek, causing him to bite the inside of said cheek. He spits blood to the side as he rolls away, rising to a crouch as Amy jumps to her feet.

She doesn't stop there, however. She jumps into the air, raises her hammer high over her head, and brings it down onto the spot Shadow had been crouched just a second before. He had rolled away at the last second and is now standing once more, knees pent and fists pulled close as he prepares for Amy to charge him again.

The shockwave from the force of her hammer hitting the floor-albeit small-causes the shelves to rattle dangerously. The sound of breaking glass can be heard as a few more shelves fall, the knick-knacks on them breaking upon impact with the hard floor below.

Thank chaos this building has no windows, or else they'd be shattered beyond recognition.

"That's enough!" Tails shouts loud enough Shadow is surprised he still falls under the radar of the government. HE steps between the two hedgehogs, glaring viciously at the two of them. "You know, I"d expect this kind of thing from Shadow, but from you, Amy?"

"Oh so now it's my fault?" She asks, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes! Amy, we were each other's crutch for a _long _time after everything went to shit. I helped you get over the death of your _daughter _and this is how you repay me?" Tails gestures to the mess all around them. "By destroying my _home_, are you _serious_?"

Amy somewhat has the decency to look guilty, but the way she's glaring at Shadow ruins the whole act.

Shadow slowly takes a deep breath to try and calm his fiery nerves. He hates the fact that he had let his emotions get the better of him. He hates how easily he lost control, and all because Amy had been taunting him like a petty child angry that she didn't get to go to a theme park.

"Tails, he's the one-"

"I think you should leave, Amy." Tails' voice is so flat it squishes all hints of possible emotions as he turns to face Amy completely.

"_What?" _

"I said leave!"

Amy stands there, shock written all over her face. Her arms hang loosely at her sides and the fingers of her right hand curl around the handle of her hammer, barely tight enough to keep from falling. "Tails, you don't really-"

"Please, Amy," this time there is a crack filled to the brim with emotional turmoil in the young voice. "Just go."

Amy is silent for a long moment, her green eyes filled with so much guilt it's amazing how she hasn't collapsed under the weight. _'At least that's one thing we can both understand.' _Shadow thinks heatedly as he crosses his arms once more.

But then Amy's face hardens, and the grip on her hammer is revived as she squares her shoulders "Sorry, Tails, but I'm not leaving until I beat that mother fucker to a pulp."

* * *

**Authors Note: **_sorry it took so long to update! I've been really busy with school and such. I have a 1.2 GPA so I gotta try and get all my grades up. Luckily, my mom isn't one of those crazy parents who requires a good grade in all my classes, or else I'd be dead. Also, one of my snakes has scale rot so I also have to deal with that as well. Which isn't good. _

_On a lighter note, I made an account on Ao3 where I've also posted this story. I only have 3 chapters up on that one so far, and it might take a little bit for me to catch up, but for those of you who like Ao3 better than, um...good for you I guess. I don't know what to say about that. I just thought I'd try to get more attention for this story, seeing as I don't really have too many people reading it right now (I still appreciate everyone who's reviewed/followed/favorited so far! It means the world to me and it's why I've kept going so long). I'm working really hard on this story and I really want more people to read it. My username is the same as this one, by the way, which is DreamCatcherofLight. _

_Anyways, that's all for now. Have a good day/night, and don't forget to review/follow/favorite! See you all later!_


	16. Chapter 15

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Sonic has been missing for almost six years now. During his absence, corruption has overcome the government, making life a living hell for everyone. It's been the job of everyone else to step up in Sonic's place, to try and save the world with a losing war on their end. But what happens when Sonic suddenly appears out of nowhere, completely different and yet the same? SONILVER._

**Authors Note:** _I know I updated only a couple days ago and I said I would be busy, but today's my birthday and mom's letting me stay home so I thought "Why not?" Hope you guys enjoy! _

**Chapter 15: Gonna Be A Long Day**

"Amy just stop!" Tails exclaims, stepping in Ay's path to Shadow. HE holds her shoulders, twin tails curled with apprehension.

But the female doesn't even care. With one swift swing of her arm, she's thrown Tails into the very shelves she had been thrown into just minutes before.

The young kit cries out in pain as he hits the metal shelf, and he doesn't even get a chance to stand as Amy thrusts the head of her hammer into Tails' face, just centimeters away from touching his nose.

"Stay out of it, Tails!" Amy shouts, and Shadow feels the rage inside bubble up once more as he takes a battle-ready stance. Her cold eyes turn to him, however, and she spits out, "stay back or I'll snap his fucking neck."

"Let him go, Amy!" Shadow shouts, glancing at Tails' tear-streaked face. "This is between you and I. Don't destroy your bond with the last friend-"

"I don't need him! Just like I don't need you, or Rouge, or Knuckles, and definitely _not _Sonic!" She shouts, sounding more hysterical with each name. "None of you matter! I didn't even want to come here today!"

"So then why the fuck are you here?" Shadow growls, slowly inching forwards. Amy lowers her hammer and presses it against Tails' neck, earning a startled squeak from the young kit.

"Boss!" Kylo shouts, and Shadow can't keep his jaw from dropping as he watches the kid rush at the crazed hedgehog before him.

Amy easily kicks him away, unsurprisingly, though Shadow still has to respect the brave action.

"Let him go!" Kylo tries again, though he struggles to stand again. His whole body is visibly shaking uncontrollably and he grips his shoulder where it had hit the shelf the hardest.

"I'll kill him," Amy hisses, pushing her hammer further against Tails' throat. "I should, for bringing up my daughter like that."

"So is that what this is about?"

Amy is silent and she avoids all contact with Shadow. Tails claws feebly at the hammer still pressed against his throat, coughing as he does so. His blue eyes are pleading as he looks at Shadow, and then to the open doorway just past Shadow's shoulder.

"Amy, please," the kit chokes out, his watery eyes looking back up at Amy who doesn't even show any hints of remorse as she stares emotionlessly down at Tails.

"You know," she mumbles out as she leans forwards. "Maybe you should've died that night."

Shadow's hands ball into fists and he takes a few running steps towards the female as she raises her hammer above her head, aiming for Tails' cowering body as he tries to crawl away.

But then a streak of dark blue shoots by Shadow so fast he would've missed it had he not been paying as close attention to the whole situation as he is.

A loud, animalistic sound mixed between a roar and a scream is heard as the blur rams straight into Amy's side. The momentum sends the two flying while the hammer drops to the floor, having been dropped by Amy.

Shadow quickly makes his way to Tails' side, kneeling to rest a hand on the fox's shoulder. He curses this tenderness showing, but he can't burry this concern for the kit as he asks, "you alright?"

"Forget me," Tails coughs out, rubbing his neck. "Stop Sonic before he kills Amy."

Shadow looks over to where the two are still on the floor. Amy is pinned down on her back with Sonic looming dangerously over her on all fours. HIs greens eyes are wide and crazed while he holds his jaws wide open, looking more like a mutated wolf than a hedgehog.

"Get off!" Amy shouts, managing to free an arm. She swings her fist at Sonic's head, though she doesn't even come close to hitting him as Sonic grabs her forearm, trapping it between his powerful jaws. Amy's face visibly pales and Shadow sees a glint in Sonic's eyes before the crazed 'hog bites down. _Hard_.

Amy's shriek pierces the air, burning in Shadow's ears as he watches the female twist in desperation to get away from the monster pinning her down.

Shadow watches, unable to move. '_Is that Sonic? Did he just...do that? He hadn't even hesitated, for chaos sakes.'_ And as Amy's screams grow louder, Shadow is sure her arm will be ripped right off then and there.

Then the door bursts open and another hedgehog is on the scene, bashing his boot against Sonic's side with his full force.

SOnic throws back his head and howls with pain, blood dripping from his icy blue muzzle as he stumbles away. He cries a high pitched whine as he grips his side, and Shadow can see the blood immediately start to coat his hand.

"What the hell?" Shadow mutters as the newcomer kneels beside Amy, propping her up against his chest to tend to her arm.

HE's a dark brown hedgehog with a light brown muzzle and chest. There is a black patch of fur on his right hip, surrounded by smaller spots and speckles, growing less in number the further away they get. His hazel eyes burn fiercely with anger as he glares at Sonic. His black army boots are quickly bloodied, a result of Amy's shredded forearm.

Sonic falls back to stand beside Tails, snarling loudly as he advances on Shadow, pulling the biohog's attention back to the scene directly in front of him.

"IT's me, it's Shadow. You don't want to do this," Shadow tries, glancing at Amy and the stranger as he rips some fabric off of Amy's shirt to wrap around her arm. "Just calm down, you're scaring Tails."

A flash of recognition lights up in emerald eyes as he hesitates. A quiet whine escapes as he blinks, almost as if he forgot how to speak, overcome with his animalistic side. Then he shakes his head as if trying to clear away the thing controlling him.

His eyes widen and he finally looks like himself instead of some deranged wolf thing on steroids. Though with recognition comes the heavy gilt and Sonic sits back on his heels, slowly looking between Tails and Shadow.

The little fox in question is shaken up-if his trembling body and bristling fur isn't a dead give away Shadow doesn't know what is-though he's relatively okay. Shadow is sporking a dark bruise already forming on his cheek and the taste of bitter iron from his own blood is still coating his tastebuds in a blanket of disgusting thickness, but he's relatively okay as well. Probably more okay than Tails, at least.

Shadow watches as one of Sonic's clawed hands slowly reaches up to his muzzle. He pulls his hand away and stares at the dark splotch of blood covering his paw pad, his whole body frozen.

"Sonic-" Shadow moves forward, though a low growl escapes the opposite male as he pulls away. He still isn't talking, which worries Shadow, though that isn't one of the priorities on Shadow's list at the moment.

Next, ever so slowly, Sonic turns around where Amy and the stranger are both still on the floor. The male is currently gripping Amy's forearm, putting as much force on it as possible to try and stop the bleeding, though the blood has already soaked through the thin material and is now coating his hands in a sleek sheen of crimson.

Amy's face is pale and she leans heavily against the other, though the glare never leaves her eyes as they pierce Sonic.

"I did it again..." Sonic whispers, and even though Shadow can't see the anguish on Sonic's face, he sure as hell can hear it in his voice.

"Sonic, just calm down," Shadow quickly says, unsure if he should try to physically console the Obexian or not. He doesn't want to trigger him even more than he already is, but he also doesn't want Sonic to do something stupid. And then there's the fact that he doesn't even know _how _to physically console people.

Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, Shadow doesn't have to worry about the simple intricacy of a hug as Sonic flees, the navy blue blur disappearing into the back room. Shadow half finds himself wishing that instead of navy blue, it was Sonic's normal cobalt blue that he's desperately needing.

It's at this moment when Rouge and Omega return from the bakery, Rouge holding two brown paper bags while Omega holds a third.

"Who wants-" the smile immediately falls from her face, replaced with one of concerned curiosity as her head tilts to the side in question. She finishes her sentence, though her voice sounds more confused than cheery as she says, "...bagels?"

**XXX**

"What the hell did I just walk in on?" Rouge's irritated voice says while Tails struggles to reorient himself. Being thrown into a shelf is not something he ever wants to experience again, especially with how much his head is throbbing with a headache. Though, he doesn't remember a time when he ever wanted to be thrown into a shelf in the first place.

"IT's a long story," Tails grumbles, holding his head as the bat and her robotic partner make their way inside.

"What the hell was that thing!?" A voice suddenly shouts, gaining the attention of everyone in the room as they all look to the newcomer supporting Amy.

"Who is that?" Shadow asks quietly as he stands, holding out a hand to help Tails.

"His name's Noah, he's Amy's husband," Tails answers, gripping SHadow's hand. Wth a wince, Tails is pulled to his feet, though he slightly sways as nausea washes over him, replacing the throbbing pain running all along his back.

"Alright, well, we should probably help Amy before she bleeds to death on your floor," Rouge says as she sets the bags of food down onto the counter.

"Tails, what is going on?" Noah asks, his voice frantic as he looks at the young fox. "Why is that..._thing _living here? And why was it trying to kill-"

Tails only runs a hand over his face, feeling way more exhausted than what's healthy for his age. Honestly, he's starting to feel like an overworked dad trying to control a house full of rampant teenagers who are all on parole for varying degrees of different crimes.

"Tails, you okay hun?" Rouge asks as both she and Omega rejoin the group.

"I'm fine, it's just been a long day."

"It's still morning," Kylo says as he reveals himself from behind some of the shelves. He had hidden when Sonic had entered the brawl, having learned his lesson from a few days ago to not aggravate Sonic even more than he already was, especially since Kylo is a human.

"Exactly."

"Well, is there a hospital nearby?" Shadow grunts out, crossing his arms. Tails shivers as the temperature in the room seemingly drops ten degrees with the intensity the biohog glares at Amy with. And she isn't even conscious anymore.

"IT's on the other side of town," Noah answers, his voice shaky with emotion as he shifts Amy's unconscious form on his lap. Tails notes that her face is way too pale to be in the safe zone anymore. He has an inkling that Sonic managed to cut her artery with his teeth.

"Well, I for one, don't want to drag her sorry ass all the way there. Deal with it yourself, Noah. This is your problem anyway, not ours."

"Shadow, step away and cool down. OMega, get out of that back room, you're not going to find Sonic. Rouge, stop eyeing Noah's ring and help him move Amy to the table."

The room falls silent as they all stare at the young fox who just spouted off orders like he's the most important person in the entire _universe_. He forces himself to not shift and bite at his lip as warmth crawls uncomfortably under his skin. Instead, his sky blue eyes harden while his twin tails flick with annoyance. "Did I stutter?"

And everyone comes back to life. Tails and Kylo move out o the way as Rouge makes her way over to Noah's side, though he looks more than uncomfortable as he guards his ringed finger against the bat as she kneels beside him. Tails watches as she replaces his hands with her own, wrapping tightly around Amy's bloody arm.

Shadow practically stomps out of the building and Tails can't hold back a shiver as a blast of cold air attacks him.

"Um...what should I do?" Kylo nervously asks, fiddling with his hands.

"You can take the day off. I won't get much done anyway, so we might as well close for the day." Tails replies, shrugging. "Besides, you need a day or two off to deal with all this nonsense."

"Thanks, boss," Kylo smiles.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yeah?" Kylo pauses in front of the door and looks back, raising an eyebrow.

"Thanks for trying to help, even if Amy did chuck you into some shelves."

Kylo smiles, his cheeks glowing with pink. "No problem. See you tomorrow!"

Tails can't help but smile as Kylo walks through the door, humming happily to himself. The smile falls, however, when he turns to look at the doorway to the back room where he catches a flash of white from Rouge.

With a sigh Tails makes his way to said backroom, pausing in the doorway to take in the situation. And, of course, it isn't the best. Why can't the universe just give him a break for _five _minutes? Is that too much to ask for? Apparently, seeing as he's struggling with trying to control a whole bunch of adults as a _kid_.

Amy is laying on the operation table where Sonic _should _have stayed, her face pale. Rouge is standing at her side, hands still wrapped around her arm. She looks exasperated as she stares at Noah currently facing off with a growling Sonic, who's side is still bleeding from the torn stitches.

"What's going on?" Tails asks, raising a brow. He sees a flash of guilt burning Sonic's emerald eyes along with a flinch at Tails' angry voice.

"Get this thing out of here! IT almost _killed _Amy!" Noah shouts, turning his frustrated eyes on Tails.

"The only reason he lashed out like that was because Amy as threatening my life," Tails says, glancing at Sonic who's still growling at Noah. "And he's angry with you because he thinks you're a threat to me."

"That doesn't-wait, she tried to kill you?" Noah asks, eyes wide as he slowly straightens. Sonic slowly backs off, looking torn between running and staying to defend Tails now that the fox isn't in any danger.

"It's true," a deep voice says, and Tails jumps, having not expected Shadow to come back so quickly.

Noah is quiet as he looks back at Amy. Rouge only shrugs.

"Amy is a threat. Presuming precautions now." Omega says as he aims his guns directly at Amy's head, just inches away from touching her nose.

"What! No no no-stop it!" Noah shrieks, running over to block Amy's face with his hands.

"Omega no!" Rogue scolds, glaring. Tails is sure that if her hands weren't busy with trying to keep Amy alive, she would've placed them upon her hips where they normally go whenever Omega does something drastic. Like aiming guns at someone's unconscious face, for one.

"She kinda lost her mind when she saw Shadow," Tails says as Omega pulls away, red eyes almost confused as he stares at Noah.

"Serves her right," Shadow mutters, and Tails shoots a glare over his shoulder at the hedgehog.

"Shadow, see if you can try and fix Sonic's stitches instead of insulting everyone you see," Tails snaps before making his way over to the table. "Let me have a look."

"IT isn't pretty," Rouge replies as she peels back the blood-soaked cloth.

Tails can't help but cringe at the blood staining the light cream color of Amy's arm. It's a harsh crimson in demand of everyone's attention, and boy does it get everyone's attention. Tails can even hear a quiet whimper from Sonic where he's still sitting in the corner, having not moved from his spot since Tails came into the room.

Amy's forearm looks completely shredded, showing torn chunks of flesh hanging off to reveal bloody muscle and tendon and veins beneath. They look practically destroyed beyond reconstruction and Tails us sure that if it wasn't so bloody, he'd be able to see flashes of white bone here and there.

"Son of a bitch," Noah breathes, somewhat startling the fox as he moves away.

"Would you guys quit sneaking up on me?" Tails grumbles, rubbing his neck as he shoots a pointed glare at Noah and then Shadow who doesn't notice. His back is facing the group and he's trying to get close to Sonic, who is proving to be difficult in cooperating with him.

"Can you help her?" Noah asks, looking at Tails hopefully. "I mean, Amy told me you've dealt with this stuff before..."

"Sure I've _dealt _with it, but I don't know how to _fix _it on my own." Tails all but snaps, trying to not be as irritated as he is at the moment. "I can probably patch her up, but I can't fix it. If I'm being honest with you, I don't think we'll be able to save her arm, there's just...too much damage."

"It's better than nothing," Rouge ads at the uneasy look flashing in Noah's eyes.

"She could...lose her arm?" He repeats, rubbing his forearm. "Can...can you try to save it?"

"I can try, but there's no guarantee. The hospital will decide that anyways, not me," Tails answers with a small shrug as he glances back at Sonic and Shadow. He holds back a snigger as he watches Shadow lunge at Sonic, though the hedgehog immediately bolts away, ending up with Shadow running face-first into the wall with a sharp "goddamn it!".

"Okay...how long will it take?"

"Can't say," Tails looks back at Amy's arm as he picks up the medical box from the floor and sets it down beside her hip. "It'll be a little while, that's for sure."

Noah sighs heavily and moves away, still rubbing his arm. He looks on the verge of tears as he stares at Amy's face. His voice is quiet, almost as if he's talking to himself, but Tails can understand every word that's said with his keen hearing as one of his large ears twitch in Noah's direction. "C'mon Amy...please don't die on me, I don't-I can't lose you."

The moment is broken as the sound of Shadow running face-first into a wall cuts off the silence, following by "son of a bitch!"


	17. Chapter 16

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

Rating: _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Sonic has been missing for almost six years now. During his absence, corruption has overcome the government, making life a living hell for everyone. It's been the job of everyone else to step up in Sonic's place, to try and save the world with a losing war on their end. But what happens when Sonic suddenly appears out of nowhere, completely different and yet the same? SONILVER._

**Chapter 16: Bagels**

"Did she...really attack you?" Noah's almost meek voice asks, cutting through the uncomfortable silence like a scalding broadsword cutting through bone. Tails glances up at him to see the hedgehog nervously wringing his fingers while cared eyes look at Amy's unconscious face.

Tails pauses and looks to Shadow who is now leaning against the wall, though he doesn't notice because he's still busy keeping an eye on Sonic. Shadow had managed to restitch Sonic's wound with the help of Rouge, and even though Sonic knows both the agents, that didn't make it any easier.

Finally, Tails sighs and looks back at Noah. "Yeah, she attacked us. After verbally attacking Shadow."

Noah's eyes widen and he glances at Shadow. The two males look at one another for a brief second before a quiet growl at Noah from Sonic draws Shadow's attention again.

"Why?"

"Don't know, she just...snapped, I guess." Tails shrugs. "Shadow didn't do anything to set her off, besides just standing there."

"I have a feeling she still has some problems to work through," Rouge says sadly as she gently brushes Amy's pink bangs out of her face. "I never thought she'd go after you guys."

"Yeah."

It's about thirty minutes later when Tails finally finishes patching up Amy's arm. She's still unconscious, so they leave her laying on the table with Omega and Noah watching over her while the others head out to the main area.

"Oh yeah, forgot about these," Rouge says, stopping in front of the counter. "They're cold now, but do you guys still want some?"

"I"ll pass, I'm not a fan of cold food," Tails says as he stops in front of the chaotic mess of collapsed shelves and shattered glass and metal.

"You need to eat, Tails," Rouge says, and the fox only flicks an ear in response as his shoulders sag. Did they _have _to destroy everything? They could've fought outside for all Tails cares, but no. They had to fight inside and destroy absolutely everything. There's even a crater on the floor from where Amy had missed Shadow.

"What about you, tough guy?"

"I'll pass," Shadow grunts.

"Seriously?" Rouge asks, exasperated as she pulls out one of the cold bagels. "They're not _that _bad when they're cold."

"Yeah, but warm food is better," Tails says as he joins the group around the counter. He takes not of Shadow leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest while one leg is propped up. His eyes are closed, but his ears are perked forward, a sign he's still listening to the conversation. Rouge is standing in front of the bags, holding a bagel in one hand while holding one of the bags open with the other, staring disapprovingly at her partner. Sonic is standing a little further away from the group, fiddling with his hands while staring at the floor.

Sonic glances up as he hears Tails approaching but immediately flinches away as the blue eyes land on him. This causes him to hiss quietly with pain as he grips his freshly bandaged side, ears flattening against his skull. He practically shrinks in on himself, cowering in the shadow of Tails.

The young fox sighs and shakes his head, running a hand over his face. Maybe Sonic's recovery will be slower than he originally thought. "You're not in trouble, Sonic."

"I almost _killed _her," Sonic's reply is so quiet that had the three individuals listening not had advanced hearing, they would've missed it.

"It was in defense, she was threatening to kill me," Tails replies, meeting scared emerald eyes as Sonic finally braves a look up at Tails.

"So...you're not going to punish me?" Sonic's pointed ears slowly lift from his head, his green eyes hopeful, wide and innocent. He looks almost like an abandoned puppy kicked to the curb and just wants a nice, warm home to live out his life. It almost reminds Tails of himself when he was younger, when he first befriended Sonic. It's almost scary with how their roles have been reversed so much.

"God no," Rouge says, breaking Tails from his train of thought. Her horrified eyes are wide and disbelieving. "Why would we punish you?"

Sonic shifts uncomfortably and looks helpless as he practically begs Tails for help with his innocent green eyes. Almost like a kid who's being confronted about stealing a few cookies late at night, even though it was their sibling but they have no proof to defend themselves against their parent's disappointment.

"Come eat, I'm sure you'll feel a lot better," Rouge says, taking a bite of her bagel as she pulls another out of the bag. She holds it out to the mutated hedgehog, and Tails feels a sense of relief wash over him as Sonic warily makes his way over to the group, limping slightly as he does so.

At least he hadn't sustained any serious damage during his captivity to make him completely distrust everyone.

"Here," Rouge practically shoves the food into Sonic's hands, earning a startled wide-eyed look. Rouge smiles with amusement as Sonic holds the food in both hands, looking almost scared as if it would crumble to dust if he so much as pokes it. "Eat."

The mutated 'hog slowly adjusts the food in his hands and raises it to his muzzle. Worry bubbles up in Tails' stomach as his brother starts sniffing the food, greens eyes darting between Rouge and Tails, and occasionally Shadow who is still leaning against the wall. Tails is almost half sure he's fallen asleep at this point, considering he hasn't moved a muscle at all.

His emerald eyes are still nervous, and after a few moments of careful inspection, he looks back to Rouge while lowering the food away from his face. "You didn't...poison this, right?"

Rouge's eyes widen and she chokes on the bite in her mouth. "No! Why would we-"

"Drugged it? Injected it with some weird virus to test on-"

"Why would we do _any _of that?" Tails asks, desperately trying to keep his nausea at bay. Maybe Sonic is worse than what Tails had originally thought. Maybe there's no hope in ever having his brother returned to his original, happy go lucky self because of the hellish nightmares he suffered during his almost six years of torture.

"I tried to kill Amy..." He answers quietly, ears lowering once more.

"We already said we wouldn't," Rouge's voice takes a softer tone. "You don't have to worry when you're with us, Sonic. We're your friends."

"Put more faith in us," Shadow finally speaks up, his voice monotone. His eyes are still closed, though his ears are also still perked forwards as he listens. Tails wonders if he can see through his closed eyelids, maybe that's why he has his eyes closed all the time.

"'m sorry."

"No need to apologize for hun. Now eat, I'm sure you're starving." Rouge smiles as she finishes off her first bagel. She reaches into the bag for another. "Neither of these two are eating so you can have however much you want."

Sonic takes a small bite, chews for a second, and then his eyes light up with pure, innocent joy. A huge smile grows on his face and he almost looks childish as he exclaims, "I forgot how _good _real food tastes!"

Despite the happiness Sonic is currently experiencing as he practically melts under the taste of the bagel, Rouge and Tails share a look. A block of sadness melt in their eyes as they look back to Sonic, watching with sad smiles on their faces as he ingests the bagel, barely even chewing.

They watch as Sonic quickly finishes off the bagel and digs through the bags, quickly digging out his share to devour that just as quickly. It's almost like a starving dog who just got its first piece of fresh meat that it hasn't had in _years_. Which, this is actually what that is. Except Sonic isn't a dog, but he isn't exactly mobian anymore either.

"See? He doesn't mind if they're cold," Rouge sets her hands on her hips, fondly watching as Sonic finishes up his last bagel. Tails only rolls his eyes in response.

The smile on his face is quickly replaced with one of confusion as Sonic walks towards him holding a bagel in both hands, a familiar spark of mischief glinting past the trauma in his green eyes.

"Eat," Sonic says as he holds one of the bagels out, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"What? No, Sonic I'm not-"

"Eat," he repeats, his voice sounding more firm as he moves the food closer.

Tails leans over and looks past Sonic's side to see Rouge pressing a hand over her mouth, doubled over. Her body is shaking with silent laughter while Shadow cracks open an eye, a smile-smirk unique to the Ultimate Lifeform plastered on his normally stoic face.

"Don't make me feed you," Sonic threatens, eyes narrowing but a smile still plays on his face.

"Fine, fine," Tails grumbles as he reluctantly takes the bagel and beings nibbling on it. His eyes practically bulge out of his head as he watches his adoptive brother walks over to where Shadow is leaning against the wall.

"Eat."

This time, Rouge can't stop her laughter as Shadow stares wide-eyed at the rival male standing in front of him, holding out the last piece of food. Tails even allows a few chuckles at the horrified look on Shadow's face, along with the mischievous smirk on Sonic's.

Tails doesn't doubt in his mind that Shadow will definitely find a way to get back at Sonic for this. And he surprisingly doesn't find anything wrong with that, unlike before where he would constantly chastise Sonic for picking fights with his friends.

He can't help but feel a warmth spread through his veins. Finally, they're seeing a glimpse of Sonic's true personality shining through all the five years of brutal torture he's gone through.

And it's at that moment Tails truly knows everything is going to be alright. Because as long as Sonic continues acting more and more like his old self, the can win this battle. And eventually, the war.

* * *

"Have you found him yet?" An icy voice asks, sounding too calm to be comfortable. Like the calm before a whole ass hurricane making a B-line for civilization.

The three figures in the room shift uncomfortably, none of them willing to answer. Though, from their lack of answers, he guesses they haven't found their assigned target. This means they're just wasting valuable time to report their failed attempts while they could still be out there, searching.

"Disappointing," he sighs, shaking his head as he slowly stands from where he sits behind his desk. "You know, I expected more from the self-proclaimed "Tracking Gods". Though, I guess I couldn't expect too much with a team name like that. Even G.U.N. is better than you, however bad they are at tracking targets down."

"We're sorry sir, it's just-"

"I don't want excuses. I want results! And none of you idiots can get them even after almost a _week _has passed since Experiment S-H-16 escaped!"

The air in the room stills and the fake plant in the corner cowers in fear, all of the colors drained out, leaving the room feeling dull and bare. The air turns stale, almost too old to breathe and even the walls seem to tremble in fear of what's to come.

"Humans have always been flawed, it's why those disgusting mobians always come out on top."

"Sir?" A brave individual asks, though immediately seems to regret it as he flinches when the harsh gaze of the doctor lands on him.

"Maybe the solution isn't to _kill _them...maybe we should've been looking for was to-hmm, how should I-ah yes..._replace _them."

The three men in the room all visibly pale as they slowly inch backward towards the door. This doesn't go unnoticed, however, as the crazed doctor's attention snaps back to them once more.

"Leaving so soon?" He asks, slowly walking around to the front of the desk. He raises a hand and out from the shadows of the room creeps two heavily mutated mobians, his most prized possessions.

They don't even _look _like mobians anymore, neither do they look like animals. It's some twisted fantastical beast, created for the sole purpose to be used as none other than a weapon to target and kill without so much of a _pinch _of mercy. They're true killing machines, something G.U.N. could never achieve. Not even with that failed Project Shadow.

These creatures are _built _to kill. Their bodies are long and slim, agile for chasing down prey. Their claws are thick and sharp while tusks come out from under their top lips, curved forwards. They're already stained red from previous kills, and they've only been working for two weeks now. It's like the black end of a quill dipped in ink way too many times to ever have hope of being clean again.

Their tails are long, more like a second arm than anything. Their shoulders are bulkier and their muscles ripple powerfully beneath their thin, pitch-black coats. Perfect for camouflage.

But the one thing that stands out is the soulless, beady yellow eyes that glow no matter the lighting. There aren't any pupils, but somehow you just _know _they're staring at you and _only _you.

"Don't forget what happens when you disobey orders," the doctor says, clasping his hands behind his back once more. "Truly a fate worse than death, and I don't say that lightly."

"We apologize, sir," one man says, eyeing the two monstrosities slowly circling him and the other two. "What did you have in mind to help us?"

The pleasure in the doctor's cold, unfeeling eyes is suffocating as a huge smile slowly creeps onto his thin, cracked lips. "Follow me to the labs. I want to run a few...tests."

High pitched hyena-like cackling can be heard as the group head out of the office, the monsters locking the men into their inevitable doom.

* * *

Sally sits upright in the makeshift bed, thin sheets sitting at her waist from where they had fallen. Her heavily bandaged arm hangs limply at her side while the other is gripping tightly at the sheets.

"No matter how angry you get you still need to sit there and rest," a rich voice says as a lynx steps into view. Her purple dress sits nicely on her curvy figure while her hands are lightly crossed over her chest. Her wisdom-filled light green eyes watch with hidden amusement at Sally's efforts to leave.

"How many times do I have to say I'm fine, Nicole?" Sally practically snaps, and if one of her arms weren't handicapped, she'd cross them. "It's just-"

"A scratch?" Nicole raises a brow while her fingers tap against her forearm. "Sally, you've been using that line ever since we've been kids, and each time I never believe you. Damaged nerves aren't "just a scratch"."

Sally huffs, pinching the sheets once more. "They need me, Nicole. I'm their _leader_-"

"And Silver is their co-leader," Nicole points out as she makes her way over to Sally's bed. "He can handle it. He's handled much worse before, I'm sure."

The squirrel slowly takes in a deep breath, her heart stuttering in her chest as she catches the sweet scent of cinnamon and sugar. She watches, taking in each delicate movement of Nicole's fingers as she fiddles with the machinery. A giddy feeling rises in Sally's chest at the concentration burning in light green eyes, even if she keeps trying to convince herself that she's still mad at her friend.

"All your vitals look good, better than what they've been," Nicole says, shattering Sally's infatuated spell. "Especially your blood pressure, which I'm happy about."

"So I can start leading everyone again?" Sally asks, perking up, only to visibly deflate at the hard stare the lynx gives her.

"I already said no, Sally."

"Fine, then answer this. _When _can I start leading again?"

Nicole shakes her head and grabs a clipboard sitting on the side table, along with a pen. She starts writing down Sally's vitals while saying, "well, considering you need to take it easy due to the nerve damage, you won't be able to lead a battle for at least two months."

"Seriously? What about just...casually leading? Just simple things around the base?"

"I'd give it a month," Nicole taps her chin with the pen before writing a couple of other things down. "Two weeks, at minimum."

Sally feels her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach. One month? What is she supposed to do for one _month_? She can't just sit around and do nothing, not when everyone's _lives _are at stake. And sure, silver can effectively lead the Freedom Fighters, especially with the help of his friends, but how long would it be before the pressure of it all gets to him?

"Sally," Nicole sighs, lowering the clipboard. "You need to relax or else you won't get better. Everything's fine. We're supposed to be laying low anyways, now's the best time for you to be healing. It isn't like we're in the middle of a war."

"We _are _in the middle of a war," Sally grumbles, running her good hand over her face.

"Okay, bad comparison, but still."

"What are we gonna do? We're _losing_, it's only a matter of time before-"

"Who are you and what did you do with Sally?" Nicole asks, smiling softly as she sits down on the edge of Sally's bed. "Sally, _please _don't talk like that, it scares me."

"What else can I do? My father put his faith in me, he put his whole life into trusting me and my decisions. Now look at me, we've lost so many battles and-"

"Well, for starters, you can stop talking like that. And boost everyone's morale. Give us more credit, I know we can win this. Wars take time, the shortest having only lasted around thirty-eight hours."

"I guess."

"I believe in the Freedom Fighters," Nicole leans forwards and gently takes Sally's uninjured hand in her own. Heat blossoms up in Sally's arm to her heart as the two stare intensely into one another's eyes. "I believe in _you." _

The door to the small infirmary bursts open and Sally immediately feels the blood rush to her face, maker her feel almost dizzy as the two quickly pull away from one another. Nicole looks almost as flustered as Sally as she stands, smoothing out her dress.

"Um, I can come back if you want," the newcomer says, directing Sally's attention to him.

"No, we were just...boosting morale," Sally mentally smacks herself for how stupid and out of context that sounds. Beside her, she can hear a quiet giggle from Nicole as the lynx finishes up, and Sally shoots her a quick glare.

"Okay," Silver looks between the two before shrugging, his gold eyes lighting up once more. "I found a place to take refugee for a bit while we get back on our feet. We might even be able to build a base there."

"Oh really?" Sally perks up and she can see Nicole smile as she moves away to tend to the other patients. "Where?"

"Harbor Heights," Silver answers as he walks over, smiling. "It was Tangle's idea to see if any of my friends-"

"Amy lives there, right? I haven't seen her in _years_!" Sally exclaims, and she finds herself trusting Silver to lead the Freedom Fighters. Maybe Nicole was right, maybe she's been overreacting this whole time. "I guess it makes sense, last I heard she got married. Right?"

"Yeah," Silver nods, smiling. "She said the city capital is abandoned, so we can stay there for a while."

"That's great! I'm proud of you, Silver."

Silver practically beams, his face lighting up. He looks like a child who was just told they can get anything they want at the mall with no monetary limit. And you bet the kid will go all out.

"When will we get there?" Sally asks, shifting. This bed is not comfortable, and her bak is starting to ache. Another reason to try and heal as fast as possible.

"A little over one day," he answers, frowning in thought. "We should arrive tomorrow afternoon if we don't have any setbacks. I called her last night, though I didn't want to bother you because I figured you were already asleep."

"Tell everyone to prepare, then," Sally says, smiling warmly at Silver. "Ration out food and water to those who need it the most, and wait to give it to those who can go without. We'll restock our supplies in the city, that's when everyone can eat again."

"Understood. Oh, and Sally? One more thing."

"Hm?"

"I think you and Nicole make a cute couple."

From the back, Sally can hear Nicole sputtering as the metallic hedgie makes his quick retreat.

* * *

**Authors Note: **_I know I've said this before, but I seriously am super happy with all the support I've been getting. I'm glad to know you guys are liking the story so far, and I'm sorry it's been a slow start but I'll try to get things going as soon as possible :) world building and setting things up takes forever to do, but at least it's fun. Anyways, that's it for now. Have a good day/night and don't forget to review/favorite/follow!_

_P.S.: Vegetass, I honestly couldn't stop smiling when I read your reviews, both on here and over on Ao3. It made my day reading those, and I'm super happy you like the story so far 3_


	18. Chapter 17

**Broken of Sanity**

**Warnings:** _contains blood, gore, violence, mental illness and everything associated with that, adult themes (drinking, implications of adultry, etc.), boyXboy pairings, harsh slurs, profanity, character death, (will add to this in other chapters if I think of anything else)._

**Disclaimer:** _I own this story and any OC that shows up. Sonic and friends belong to SEGA and the Sonic Team. Any other character that appears belongs to their respective owners. I also own the "cover" to this story. If you like it, see end of _**Prologue** _for more information._

**Rating:** _Rated M (mature) for obvious reasons (see WARNINGS above if you haven't already)._

**Summary:** _Sonic has been missing for almost six years now. During his absence, corruption has overcome the government, making life a living hell for everyone. It's been the job of everyone else to step up in Sonic's place, to try and save the world with a losing war on their end. But what happens when Sonic suddenly appears out of nowhere, completely different and yet the same? SONILVER._

**Authors Note: **_I'm sorry it's been forever since I've last updated! Everything's been kinda crazy with this whole COVID-19 virus. I mainly write this story in a journal at school then type it all up onto my laptop to publish here, but since school is out for like a month, I can't write in school. For some reason, it's one of the best times I can focus on this story and actually get ideas in, but I'm trying. We're supposed to go back on the 20th of this month (April) so hopefully, I'll get back to regularly updating the story again. Thanks for being patient with me! _

_P.S.: I'm sorry this chapter is so short! _

**Chapter 17: Project S-1**

His body aches from all the mutilation he's suffered. The twisting of muscle, the ripping of tendons, the breaking of bones.

His eyes are gone, sucked right from their sockets as if they had been soup in a bowl. He can't see. It's all just nothing but the endless screaming in his head as he's forced to coexist with whatever animal is being forced inside of his entire being.

He doesn't even know who he is anymore. His name, his memories, his purpose, what he's supposed to be doing. None of it stays, forced out to reconstruct his very life. His very _existence_.

His fingers are cut off, replaced with cold, unfeeling metal thrust into the leftover bloody stubs of what used to be. But then, he can't miss them because he can't even remember what they were originally for, not to mention what they're called. They were useless masses of meat. They were weak human structures that are a point of vulnerability.

There are knives in his ears, cutting and widening and replacing. Twisting and twisting until all that's left are two huge holes in his head. He can hear the smallest of sounds now, they all invade his overstimulated brain. The knives sink deeper and deeper, scraping against the sensitive walls of his burst eardrums, sculpting them to perfection.

A hammer bashes at his forehead and fireworks of bloody anguish explode out from the center point as his skull caves in, killing the weak squishy brain on the inside. Smashing it, mutilating it until not even the squishy matter is left behind anymore, turned into nothing but smoothy smooth mush.

It leaks from his ears, his nose, his mouth; killing the vulnerable point. He can't think anymore, can't function on his own. A total calm washes over him, replacing the previous hell he had been through.

All he can do is feel. He can feel the smallest of vibrations through his twisted feet. He can hear the hushed, blurry words whispered over his blood crusted face. He can feel a coldness as it enters the empty cave of his skull, squishing out whatever is left of the soft organ through his reconstructed ears.

And now he's nothing. not even a shell of his former self. He is nothing. Does nothing. Knows nothing. Feels nothing. He is all-powerful and his sole purpose is to serve The Master only.

"Experiment S-H-S-1 part one complete. Project S-1 is ready for orders." The Master's voice is _glorious_.

* * *

"Hey, hedgehog," Shadow's gruff voice asks as he's leaning against the wall. He had returned to the backroom after being forced to eat one of the bagels. He's sure Rouge will never let him live this down. Of course she won't, she's Rouge for crying out loud.

The only other conscious person in the back room turns narrowed eyes on Shadow. "What do you want? Can't you see you've caused enough trouble today?"

"Me?" Shadow asks, pushing himself off the wall. He slowly approaches Noah who's currently standing beside Amy. A twinge of satisfaction rockets through Shadow's body when he sees the other male uncomfortably shift, though he does stand his ground. "What about your little wife? She's the one that started this whole mess in the process."

Noah only looks back to Amy's face while rubbing his upper arm. His ears slowly lower and he looks back to Shadow. "Please don't hold it against her, she's...she's been really unstable these past few weeks. I think everything's starting to get to her. We've been fighting recently and...I just..."

Shadow sighs and shakes his head, coming to a stop beside Noah. "I kinda figured, she did seem a little crazier than before. Why'd she come over here anyway? Tails made it clear she wouldn't be helping anymore."

"Silver called and I guess he's coming to take refugee here for a little while," Noah answers. Shadow's eyes widen with surprise. Silver? He hasnt' seen that headache for a few years. He's surprised he's still here in this time instead of his own. That just goes to show how dedicated he is to fixing everything.

"Do you know when he'll be here?" Shadow asks, crossing his arms once more.

"No, all Amy said is that it would take a couple of days. My guess is as good as anybody's."

Shadow nods, staring blankly at Amy's pale face. "You should probably get her to a hospital, then. Tails has done everything he can for her, now it's your turn."

"Oh, right. Um...I'll go tell Tails then." Noah turns and heads out of the backroom, leaving Shadow standing in silence. The only company is the thoughts swirling around in his mind and he sighs heavily.

Where do they go from here? Sonic is obviously unstable and dangerous, though is there anything they can really do about that? Is he just always going to be like this now? He has suffered severe mental trauma, from what Shadow's witnessed and read about in the files. The big question is if he's always going to be like this. Can they still reverse what's been done?

At least he knows one thing for sure. There is no way in _hell _that they will turn him back to the government. After everything they've done to him? Shadow will fight with everything he's got to prevent those corrupt bastards from getting their hands on Sonic again. Even if it means forfeiting his own life in order to do so.

But what about Rouge? He knows she's on his side, and willing to fight with everything she's got, but she's a mother. She doesn't have just herself to worry about anymore. She has to worry about her family now. G.U.N. could hold her child and even Knuckles as hostages until they get what they want. And Shadow _knows _they will carry out their threats if they don't get what they want.

He's not about to let Rouge experience losing her baby. He's seen what it's done to Sonic, he doesn't want Rouge to go through that same pain. So then what do they do? Go into hiding until they find a better plan? Like that's going to work, he knows eventually Sonic will get too worked up and would do something extreme.

"This is all such bull shit," Shadow grumbles to himself as he runs a hand over his face. It's stressful and he can already feel a headache forming. His mind goes back to the plan he and Rouge had talked about a little while ago, though that wouldn't work forever. It would be a good distraction, though they would have to come up with something better.

At least in the short span of time they have, they could stop back by Rouge's place and collect her family before G.U.N. gets any bright ideas.

Footsteps alert Shadow to Noah's return and he immediately brings his mind back to the present. He turns, sharp eyes watching as the male approaches Amy's side once more. Tails enters soon after and removes all of the medical machinery from Amy, allowing Noah to move her.

"Give us updates when you get to the hospital," Tails says as Noah picks Amy's limp body up in his arms. "She might have attacked us and whatnot, but she's still our friend."

"However surprising that may be," Shadow grumbles, earning a glare from the young fox kit.

"Sure thing kid," Noah replies, sending a glare of his own at Shadow before he turns and starts to leave. "I'll make sure to have a talk with her about everything that happened here once she's better."

Shadow sighs and turns back to look at Tails once Noah is gone. He guesses that Rouge, Omega, and Sonic are still out in the main shop area, though what they're doing is anyone's guess. Rouge is probably talking with Sonic about everything that happened, taking note of his mental state and whatnot.

"I don't know where to go from here, Shadow." Tails' quiet voice catches Shadow's attention.

"Me either. If I'm being honest, there's really not anywhere we can go from here. That'll end up with good results, I mean," he answers, making his way back over to one of the walls. He leans against it and stares up at the dark ceiling. "G.U.N. will need something soon, and if they find out what's been going on here who knows what they'll do."

"Yeah."

"Rouge and I talked about something we could to do stall them, for at least a little bit. It'll give us enough time to fall under the radar and come up with a better plan to fix all of this."

"Really?" Tails perks up and a childish hope fills his bright eyes once more.

"Yes, though I'm sure Sonic probably isn't going to like it."

"If it gets us out of this mess I'm sure he'll comply," Tails smiles as he begins to clean off the makeshift operating table Amy had been laying on minutes before. "Tell me what this plan is."


End file.
